Chapter 9, Gospel Enemy #3 : Self-reliance

Men,

It has been awhile. I ask you to forgive me for the hiatus – got real busy (as you are also no doubt).

Most of you have probably finished Bookends, but let’s blog about the final three sections. I will take chapter 9. Someone surprise us with a blog about chapter 10, and then would someone else surprise us with a blog post on the conclusion concerning the Christian world view. If more than one person posts that would be awesome. So if you want to share on these areas, please bless us with your words.

Self-reliance, the can do American way, just do it, genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration, if you want something done right – do it yourself, get moving or get out of the way.

There are lots of phrases like the above in our society. At first glance most of them seem like good attitudes to live by. But are they?

Certainly God has called us to excellence. Scripture tells us that whatever our hands find to do we should do with all of our might. The Proverbs as well as the book of James instruct us to work hard. We should do everything for the glory of God.

Doing everything for the glory of God is precisely what is wrong with a worldly mindset of motivation. That’s why “just do it” and the other phrases I mentioned can be so dangerous – they simply don’t recognize that we must labor according to the strength and ability that God gives us and our labors must be for his glory.
Jesus is the vine and we are the branches – without him we can do nothing!

God has called us all to work hard and accomplish significant things in our lives, but that labor must be according to his will with the strength and ability He gives and most of all what we do must be for his glory.

The motivational self-reliant mentality of our age is an enemy to how God would have us live. “Just do it” only if it seems to be according to God’s will in your life and you recognize that “without Him you can do nothing”. Then let your motivation be to bring glory to God as you do it! This is what we are called to – not self-reliance.