"Cannot or Will Not?"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

"Cannot or Will Not?"          

    

    We sometimes confuse "cannot" with  "will not."

    "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13).

    Born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ possess the spiritual capacity for any and everything God wills for us to do.  He provides the power for our doings, which are beyond our human capacities.  "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" (Ephesians 6:10).   In times of failure, we must therefore acknowledge that unbelief and disobedience occurred not as the result of "I cannot," but rather because of "I will not."  The enabling is always present and available.  "We shall live with Him by the power of God" (II Corinthians 13:4).  We disobey when we fail to remember and affirm by faith our Lord's empowering presence and the confident step of obedience taken in the light of such provision.  

    From the seemingly smallest acts of obedience to the martyr's sacrifice, all proceed from Divine enabling rather than human sources of strength, discipline, and faithfulness.  "His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness" (II Peter 1:3).  Thus, "cannot" never applies to believers and the will of God.  We must embrace such Truth as a matter of both principled doctrine and practical grace for every moment of challenge.  Indeed, perhaps the greatest challenge of all involves accepting the fact of our superabundant ability through the indwelling Spirit of Christ to obey God.  It is much easier to focus on the reality of our human weakness than to gaze upon the surging engine of our Lord's powerful and enabling presence.  The former allows for excuses.  The latter does not.  We do well to accept full responsibility for failure by rejecting all notions of "cannot" regarding the will of God.  We can do the will of God always through Christ, or as the Apostle Paul so plainly affirmed…

 "Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end, Amen."

(Ephesians 3:20-21; emphasis added)

Weekly Memory Verse

   I will extol Thee, o God, my King, and I will bless Thy name forever and ever.

(Psalm 145:1)