There are three categories of 'believers' in the world: (1) Those who have confidence in themselves. Suchbelievers can be identified by the fact that they pray verylittle or not at all. And they usually never ever fast andpray. Although they don't say so in as many words, by theirprayerlessness they testify that they can handle everysituation. Such believers can never do an eternal work forGod. (2) Those who have no confidence in themselves and whohave no confidence in God. They confess that they have nostrength or wisdom. But they do not believe that God willwork on their behalf. Such believers are usually prayerlesstoo. Even if they do pray, their prayers are invariablywithout faith. Such can never do an eternal work for Godeither. (3) Those who have no confidence in themselves, BUT whohave total confidence in God. They are aware of their lackof strength and wisdom, but they also believe that God willhelp them mightily, and do a work in them and through them.Such believers alone are truly spiritual, and only such cando an eternal work for God. It is good for us to recognisethat those in Category 2 above are just as useless to God asthose in Category 1. Those in Category 2 may look morebroken, but they are not - for unbelief can never be foundalongside genuine Christ-like humility. Without faith it isimpossible to please God, no matter how broken we may appearto be. Merely acknowledging our inability will not solve ourproblems. We must trust God too.To confess that we are rotten, good for nothing, useless andfoolish, is not humility, but unbelief!! If we keep onconfessing that, we will remain useless forever. Falsehumility like that is often mistaken for the genuine thingby undiscerning believers!But Jesus told us to learn humility from Him (Matt.11:29).And where do we find Jesus ever confessing that He wasuseless and good for nothing? Never.True humility is taking the place of entire nothingnessbefore God, so that God might be all in all. This is theplace that Jesus took as a man. This is what we must do too.In that lowly place, we can trust God to do a mighty work inus and through us, and to crush Satan under our feet.
_________________Mike Balog
Good thought provoking article.I'm not saying which catergory I fall into, but I'll keep working at it!God bless.
Thanks for posting! :-) But how about John 5:19 btw?
_________________Jonathan Veldhuis