Jesus is Our Potential

3/29/2000

Will you amplify that with, “It’s no longer I who live, but Christ living in me”? How does that fit in? I know that you’re not saying that this is all possible without a relationship with Christ.

No. In fact the basis of that perseverance is simply that, like I said a minute ago, I know in the end He will present me before His Glorious Throne spotless. The reason why I can persevere in these things, if I’m focused, if I care about these things, if it’s what I’m seeking first in my life, is that I know for a fact that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Meaning, the mystery that was withheld for ages and generations is Christ in me. The reason I don’t need to give up, and I don’t feel like it’s futility is because I know the bottom line of what Christianity even is is that a deposit of the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ is put in a person that’s given their life to Him. So I know my potential, no matter what my execution is, no matter what my current status is in the eyes of those around me, or even my own success rate that’s in front of me, I know what my potential is. It’s not limited by my will power. It’s not limited by my past. My potential is only limited by what Christ is capable of, by what Jesus is capable of.

So my perseverance is motivated by and energized by the fact that I know that all things are possible for him who believes. So not I, but Christ lives in me is actually the essence of why I don’t have despair when things aren’t going well, because I know my potential. I’ve not bottomed out in what I am capable of in terms of loving God, and serving God, and knowing God, and serving others, and being useful to God. My only limitation is how well Jesus would do in all those things. And since I’ve not gotten there yet, but it is my potential—not I, but Christ—then I have all the hope in the world to go forward no matter how bad today’s been.

So it’s all very closely interwoven… I wish golf was like that. You don’t have Jack Nicklaus, or whoever, living inside, so your potential is not unlimited, so here’s where our analogy falls apart… : )