Perhaps like me, you remember these proverbs from your childhood:
- If a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing right (Philip Stanhope).
- Never leave till tomorrow what you can do today (Ben Franklin).
- There is no substitute for hard work (Thomas Edison).
The Bible verses we learned in Sunday School seemed to support the same mindset of straining and striving:
- “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).
- “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1b).
- “Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12a).
And along the way some of us began to think:
- I must strive to become more like Jesus.
- I must strive against sin.
- I must strive to meet all the expectations of attending church, having a consistent quiet time, treating others with kindness, and more.
It’s not that these goals are invalid. Scripture does encourage these behaviors, because they lead to peace and contentment.
The problem lies in striving on our own.
We can’t do it.
First, note that in 1 Timothy 6:12 (above) Paul didn’t say to fight the good fight of self-discipline. He said “fight the good fight of faith.”
How do we do that? By holding tightly to God our Savior–trusting that with the holding will come the enablement.
This clinging faith can be expressed as simply as Peter did when he was sinking in the crashing waves of the Sea of Galilee. He cried just three words: “Lord, save me!” And of course, Jesus did (Matthew 14:25-32).
God is more than ready to help us too:
I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand
And says to you, “Do not fear; I will help you.”
Isaiah 41:13 NIV
Second, consider the plants in a garden. Do they work hard to grow and produce vegetables or flowers? No, it’s just a natural, God-engineered result when roots reach deep into the soil for water and nutrients, and leaves reach up for the life-giving light of the sun.
What if we follow their example? What if we spent less energy on exertion-to-perform and more energy on immersion-in-relationship—relationship with our Heavenly Father?
Those “I-must-strive” statements, like those above, will be silenced because:
WE DON’T HAVE TO STRIVE TO BE LIKE JESUS; we naturally grow more like him as we learn about him, contemplate him, and worship him.
All of us, then, reflect the glory of the Lord with uncovered faces;
and that same glory, coming from the Lord, who is the Spirit,
transforms us into his likeness in an ever greater degree of glory.
2 Corinthians 3:18 GNT
WE DON’T HAVE TO STRUGGLE ALONE AGAINST SIN. As we draw near to God, he draws near to us (James 4:8). And the more we follow his ways and discover the wisdom behind his instructions, the more obedience becomes our joy, just as Jesus said:
If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love . . .
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you
and that your joy may be complete.
John 15:11-12 NIV
WE DON’T HAVE TO PUSH OURSELVES TO PERFORM 24-7; we can focus on pushing our roots deep into the love of God, enjoying his presence, and listening to his voice.
Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him.
Then your faith will grow strong.
Colossians 2:7 NLT
That’s the secret. Instead of exertion, we focus on immersion–in God’s Word, in gratitude and praise, and in affirmations of trust.
Out of that immersion will blossom the most beautiful reality:
“The life that intends to be wholly obedient,
wholly submissive, and wholly listening,
is astonishing in its completeness.
Its joys are ravishing, its peace profound,
its humility the deepest, its power world-shaking,
its love enveloping, its simplicity that of a trusting child.”
—Thomas Kelly
*the original language of Paul’s letters
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From the Inside Out 
Wise and helpful words. Thank you.
Thank YOU for reading, Robert, and taking time to comment!
Thank you again, Nancy for this blog! I loved that definition of faith, literally meaning “to fasten oneself to” or “cling to.” Thank you again for being so helpful with your writings.
Unfortunately, that definition is not accurate–I misread the resource!! A newer version of this post has been uploaded. I’m very sorry for the error!
Thank you, your still my number 1 writer.
Thank you, Sam–I’m honored!
Yet another wonderful facet of what it truly means to abide in the Lord, Nancy. No striving, just being, content to be nourished by Him so that might blossom and show His grace and truth to others.
Blessings!
Oh yes, Martha–nourished by Him. Such an appropriate verb to indicate how He feeds our spirits, exactly what we need, in order to thrive! Praise God for His attentive care!
DEAR READERS, TAKE NOTE!! Those of you who receive these posts by email need to know I included an error in the original posting. That Greek word, haptomai, is NOT a definition of faith! I misread the resource where this word appeared. The post is now updated; I do apologize for any confusion I’ve caused!!
“Instead of exertion, we focus on immersion–in God’s Word, in gratitude and praise, and in affirmations of trust.“
Love this so much! You so beautifully captured this important understanding in words.
Wonderful reminder!
Thank you, Erica. Praise God for his inspiration behind the idea and his help to develop it!
ah, wisdoms key here Nancy. Immersion in the Word produces Faith. I have never been able, by sheer will power, to believe and trust God. Bootstrap theology doesn’t work.
Thank you for your encouragement, Gary. I appreciate and agree 100% with your comment too: bootstrap theology doesn’t work!
Yet another wonderful facet of what it truly means to abide in the Lord, Nancy. No striving, just being, content to be nourished by Him so that might blossom and show His grace and truth to others.
Blessings!
Amen, Max, and great summary! As we seek to abide, the fruit will naturally blossom.
Thank you for this awesome post! You have a gift! You have such great insights and present everything so clearly. You are right. We cannot do it alone. Faith is the key, and it is a gift from God.
Linda, your kind comments mean so much! Praise God for the insights he shares with ME, and the words to share them clearly. (Not that I’m always listening as intently as I should!) In response to your last statement: Isn’t it humbling to realize that even our faith is a gift from God?! We can do NOTHING apart from Christ (John 15:4-5)–not even believe in him. But ALL things are possible with God (Matthew 19:26)!
“… its simplicity that of a trusting child.” What a great example (and photo) to conclude your topic, Nancy. Also, I love the exertion-immersion dynamic (my fondness of words and all). Finally, I can’t count the number of times my father would say, “If you’re going to do a job, do it right.” He never added, “… or don’t do it at all” because I don’t think he wanted his kids to have a way out of doing the work 🙂
Isn’t that a sweet photo of that little girl? The sweet expression on her face is the epitome of innocence. The Thomas Kelly quote certainly caught my attention; ‘glad you liked it too, Dave. As for the exertion-immersion dynamic, I can only say as I worked on this post those words popped into my head. They surely came from God himself, given the way they just suddenly appeared!
love this sentence: Instead of exertion, we focus on immersion–in God’s Word, in gratitude and praise, and in affirmations of trust.
I think striving is common but as our faith grows we learn it is not us but all God. I used to be proud of my strength in getting things d one and being independent until I realized it was also an obstacle in my relationship with God.
Good point, Jean: striving can actually be an obstacle in our relationship with God, and pride definitely is! I still find myself falling into the performance/pride trap sometimes. Praise God for developing my awareness and for forgiving me.
Your writing always encourages me, but none more than what you wrote right here. “Less exertion, more immersion.” Even my more-than-ever scattered brain can remember that! It reminds me of the verse that has been recently so impactful in my life: “Be still (quit striving!), and know that I am God.” Immersing myself in God and His Word is all I need. Blessings, Nancy, and thank you yet again.
Praise God you found special encouragement here, Patty. Isaiah 46:10 IS a worthy verse to keep in mind. The more we rest in trust, the more we’re able to enjoy the presence, influence, and blessings of our Heavenly Father!
Great thoughts, Nancy! If we abide in Christ, growth will happen. We won’t have to force it.
Exactly, David! Sometimes effort can even interfere with growth when we get too busy or we think our over-achieving is somehow pleasing to God. Then there’s the issue of people-pleasing, which I have to confess to myself!
Me too, sister. If there was a People Pleasers anonymous I would join a group tomorrow. Oops, I’m no longer anonymous. 😳
😁
Thank you Nancy. When we focus more on immersing ourselves in the Lord himself, it will set the stage for all other things in our lives to fall into place. Sometimes it’s easy to become focused on doing things for God, but spending time with God is essential to our relationship with Him. Have a wonderful weekend.
Well said, Dawn!
Hi Nancy,
It should happen naturally if God is working in us.
Thank you,
Gary
Exactly, Gary!
Nancy, yes and amen. As life goes on, I’m doing less of the heavy lifting and leaving it all up to Him. I often can’t find the words and certainly have given up on figuring out solutions and telling God what to do and how and when.
All this has given me rest and peace. He has proven how faithful and wise He is. I have nothing to offer Him except my trust … and a continued simple agreement in what He’s doing in the world even if I don’t understand.
SO well said, Linda! I’ve come to the same conclusions as He’s proven Himself over and over again in my life and the lives of others. As Jean Wise wrote in her book, Christmas Crossroads: “Praise God–the One who knows best is the One in charge.” There IS peace and rest in acknowledging that truth!
Great points that we don’t have to STRIVE, STRUGGLE, or PUSH ourselves all on our own to reflect the glory and light of our Savior! Relying only on ourselves leaves a feeling of failure and defeat. It should happen naturally as we immerse ourselves in the Word. I love this “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong.” Colossians 2:7 NLT Great blog and very helpful to me.
I’m so glad you found this post helpful, Cheri. Praise God!
So true Nancy. On our own we can do nothing!
Absolutely, Sheila!