“It is not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.” (v. 5)

I once heard someone say, “If you think you can, or if you think you can’t, you’re right.” It’s a quality quip, a motivational memo.

But it’s not especially biblical.

Here’s one of the most bizarre freedoms you’ll discover in the Gospel:

You can’t.

(Please don’t stop reading.)

You can’t live up to the height of moral perfection.

You can’t love well—whether the lovely or the not.

You can’t manage the weight of the million responsibilities you carry.

You can’t serve or give—you can’t even pray—with what you’ve got.

You can’t.

But He can.

And He is with you. In you, by the Spirit. He is your adequacy—your only adequacy—for every calling, every challenge, and every hope. It’s His strength, His mind, His heart, alive in you so you might live.

This is the freedom we have in Christ. This is what sustains us for the living of these days. And this is how we keep going—until He comes, or until He calls us home.

You can’t—and you don’t have to, thanks be to God.

— Tyler