Apart from Me you can do nothing.

http://solidjoys.desiringgod.org/en/devotionals/we-can-do-nothing



I have often wondered about the verse, "Apart from Christ I can do nothing".  I wondered because you look at non-Christians who accomplish great things in this world.  Things like charity work, or athletic success or business success.  What this verse is actually saying is that you cannot bear true fruit for God without Him.  You may be able to accomplish great things, and these things may seem like they are examples of fruit for God's Kingdom, but they are not examples of true fruit if we do them on our own effort apart from God, for God is saying in this verse (John 15:5) that apart from Him we cannot bear fruit.

This becomes that much more clear when we examine Romans 7:18, John 15:5 and Galatians 5 together.  You recognize the fact that nothing good dwells in my sinful flesh (Romans 7:18).  Galatians 5 outlines all the characteristics of my flesh.  However it also outlines the Fruit of the Spirit which God will manifest through us when we are surrendered to Him.  As you examine the fruit of the Spirit, you realize very quickly that you cannot bear this fruit by your own effort.  You need to surrender to God, ask for His help and strength and then allow Him to supernaturally work through you and bear these fruits.

When you examine these verses together it becomes increasingly clear that Jesus is bang on (as always) that we cannot bear fruit apart from Him.

When I have read this verse in the past I misunderstood it to mean that I can't do anything meaningful by my own effort.  This is not what the verse is saying.  In actuality there is a lot that I can do and accomplish by my own effort.  The fact that non-Christians can accomplish success in this world proves that.  But no one can bear meaningful fruit apart from the Lord.  No one can bear the fruit of the Spirit.

These truths should not serve as permission to go out and try to accomplish things solely by our own efforts.  All our pursuits are always most meaningful when we are doing them to glorify the Lord.  In everything we do we should be working our hardest at it as a means of worshiping and glorifying Him, and then trusting Him to make from our efforts whatever He wants - to bring about the results from our efforts that He sees fit.

It is important to realize that any success I ever have in anything directly relates to the degree that God chooses to bless my efforts.  Also, even though it is possible to accomplish things by my efforts (as explained above), it is important to seek God in everything I do.  This means asking for His help to do my best, asking Him to bless my efforts, seeking Him for how to go about things, dedicating all my effort to Him, etc.

As I work my hardest at everything I do, I also need to do so in ways that are God honouring and glorify Him.  For instance I should be confident, loving, patient, etc..  It is also important to check your motives.  Everything we do should be for the glory of God.  There is a verse in the Bible which speaks about how our deeds are like filthy menstrual rags if they are done out of selfish ambition.  We were made to worship the Lord, so everything we do must be for His glory alone.  I have had this wrong in so many areas if my life.  I need to stop doing things to bring glory to myself.  And when I do that it helps take away stress because I am striving g to perform for an audience of One, and He does not want me concerned about results, but rather the process of worshipping Him.



-talk next about how this relates to doing my best in teaching, sports, etc....He has blessed me with abilities and I have to work my hardest as if depends on me...I have to actually do it confidently because Christ gives us Spirit of courage.  These circumstances are not what "apart from Me" is speaking about.  The fact that I have messed up in the past by being nervous proves that I have to do it...

Let the Lord work through you naturally.  You still work hard but let Him work through you naturally

Is my obedience and service and worship about the genuine fruit of Christ's presence and power?  I must be always examining myself and checking my motives.

Won't be fruit
Therefore there are some things which you can do by self but fruit is not beared when doing on own effort

If it isn't about Him in us then it won't be worship.  If it is not about pleasing Him alone then it is not worship.

Take chances...don't fear failure

“What on earth would make someone a non learner? Everyone is born with an intense drive to learn. 

Infants stretch their skills daily. Not just ordinary skills, but the most difficult tasks of a lifetime, like 

learning to walk and talk. They never decide it’s too hard or not worth the effort. Babies don’t worry 

about making mistakes or humiliating themselves. They walk, they fall, they get up. They just barge 

forward. What could put an end to this exuberant learning? The fixed mindset. As soon as children 

become able to evaluate themselves, some of them be-come afraid of challenges. They become afraid of not 

being smart. I have studied thousands of people from preschoolers on, and it’s breathtaking how many 

reject an opportunity to learn.”

Audience of One = Peace & Joy At All Times

God calls me to live for Him and Him alone.  He calls me to do all things for His glory, not my own.  When I stop and think about this truth, I find that there is incredible peace and joy in it.  Unfortunately I have not allowed myself to fully experience this peace and joy because I have been focused on myself, rather than my Savior - the audience of One whom I solely should be focused on.

When I look back on any time that I have ever been worried, anxious or nervous it has been because I have been focused on what I want to accomplish.  It has also been because I am worried about what others will think about me.  Notice, the keywords "I" and "me".  I am focused on what I want, and what I want others to think of me.  THIS IS THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF LIVING FOR MY AUDIENCE OF ONE - JESUS CHRIST!

I have allowed society to brainwash me into thinking that in order to do my best, I need to be focused on specific results.  As a Christian, I should never measure success by the world's standards, but unfortunately I have allowed myself to be suckered into this.

I want to experience the extreme freedom that comes from living for the audience of Jesus alone.  In order to do this, I believe I must do the following:

1.  Courageously work my hardest at everything I do.  

I must work my hardest without any fear.  When you look at characters in the Bible who were successful warriors, they were focused on what God wanted, not what others expected of them.  There eyes were locked on the Lord.  They courageously served God and followed His instructions.  I must be courageous in everything for "God has given us a spirit of courage", and He also calls us to work our hardest in everything, "As working for the Lord, not for men".  Courageously work your hardest, for God is honored when we do.

2.  Seek excellence in everything I do.

While working my hardest courageously, I must not work hard aimlessly.  God is honored when I seek to be excellent in the things he brings my way.  After all, the world is watching us.  Do you think the world will respect us if we are half-hearted in what we do?  God calls us to take the talents he has blessed us with and manifest them - developing them to the greatest extent we possibly can, and relying on His guidance and strength to do so.

3.  When it's "game time" find freedom in focusing on The Audience of One

Once I have put in all the preparation to be the best I can be, then I can go out and seek to be excellent courageously.  As mentioned above, I can find increased courage and freedom in being focused on God alone.  I can seek to perform to glorify Him alone - making that my sole purpose.  This way, I am not focused on what I want, and I'm not focused on what others want.  I am simply focused on doing my best as an act of worship to the Lord, and doing it in the ways that best honor Him.

If I do find myself nervous, anxious or scared in any way, shape or form, I must examine where these feelings are coming from.  Chances are, they are a result of me being focused on results that I personally want, or from a fear of not meeting the expectations of others.

These principles have been most evident for me in my athletic endeavors, specifically with golf.  I have so often sabotaged myself from achieving my best results because I have been worried and nervous.  There have been countless times where I feel like if I had simply relaxed I would have won tournaments, or at least achieved much better results.  In other words, I don't feel like I have achieved my best for God's glory, not just from a results standpoint, but from an attitude standpoint as well.  I have been so focused on the results that I want, and being concerned about what others will think of me if I don't achieve them, that it prevents me from doing my best for the One who really matters.

To find freedom and joy in doing your best for God, with Him being your true Audience of One, it is imperative that I focus on Him alone, and not care about what I want, or what anyone else wants.  When I am truly focused on God, then all worry and fear should not be present.

Many athletes get their confidence from cockiness.  As Christians, our confidence should be found in Christ which is so much more powerful and useful and effective than the cockiness of any human being.

I need to be focused on joyfully and confidently doing my best in the process, and then allow God to take care of the results.  Any time I am focused on results, I make it about me, and when I make it about me, that is when fear and anxiety creep in.

Golf notes to remember to start next season

 When pitching, if I do not have a good view of where to land it, then just hit it to the pin.

2.  I am hitting it well when I forget about shoulder turn.  I am even hitting it long this way.  I just bring arm back and feel like I am not even moving my shoulders and back.  It is almost like how I feel with a wedge going 3/4 back at times.  Obviously I am not taking 3/4 swings with other clubs but it feels this way.

3.  God has answered my prayer and helped my putting.  He has taught me to see the line of the Pitt and then Pitt across this line.  However I must not force it.  I put best when I look at hile, look back at ball and loosely see the line in my head when looking at the ball, and then I use that line to hit it across the proper line with the proper weight.

4.  Chipping has been better in that I look at where I want to land ball and then just do it.  It is like my mind has got used to seeing where it has to land and my club and swing just kind if follow.  My eyes, club and hand are kind if in since and I don't have to force it.  My eyes see the line because I know the trajectory the ball will take off the club from that distance...the ball will not fly as high the closer I am to the pin because the closer I am, the less club head speed generated.

5.  For draws and fades, stick with the method of lining up the club at target, and my body at where ball is to start and then swing along shoulder/body line and trust your swing.

6.  Use the club as a tool.  Remember to think about putting hammer on back if nail.  Think about this before and even during swing if needed.  Sometimes need to think about this in backswing but it still makes for very efficient swing.

How to think in golf.

When playing the club championships this year, I lost by one when I should have run away with it.  I was playing more than well enough to do so.  I lost because I was tense, nervous and tentative.  When out playing tonight, I played really well because I played relaxed.  I cared about the results but I wasn't nervous about them.  I let the results happen by caring but having an attitude if indifference and that attitude was not forced.  I need to work on implementing the following in my game while in competition:

1.  Only think about the "do's" not the "don'ts".   I have the tendency to think a lot about where I don't want to hit it and that tenses up my swing which in turn prevents me from scoring as best as I can.  Just think about where you DO want to hit it and then do it.  It is like how Michael Jordan said that He would never think about the consequences of a miss.

2.  Have fun!  God has revealed to me this year that I glorify Him better when I am relaxed and have fun.  This does not mean that I don't care, it just means that I am having fun and accepting results rather than worrying about them....HAVE FUN AND RELAX CARE ABOUT RESULTS BUT DONT WORRY ABOUT THEM.  HAVE AN ATTITUDE OF INDIFFERENCE, ACXEPTING WHATEVER THE RESULTS ARE.  MY FOCUS IS GLORIFYING GOD.

3.  With focusing on the do's and not the don'ts, I must at the same time trust my body to execute the shot.  Anytime I am tentative in any way it prevents me from doing this.  FOCUS ON THE DO'S AND THEN TRUST YOURSELF TO DO IT.