God Always Does Great Things

In Romans 7, the apostle Paul spoke of a perverse law at work within him that caused him to do the very opposite of what he really wanted to do. He wrote that whenever he wanted to do what was good, he found evil present inside him. So the good he wanted to do, he did not do; and the evil that he wanted to avoid, he kept doing. He went through this frustrating struggle until he finally cried, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). In his cry for deliverance he found the answer. Through faith, the Lord delivered him by the power of the Spirit.

You might think that this would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The very first time you struggled to do the work that only God can do, and then saw His victory when you handed that struggle over to Him, you’d say, “I’ve learned my lesson. I can’t do it, but the Lord is able. Blessed be the name of the Lord!” But that’s not the case. Once we relinquish control of one area of our life to God and watch Him conquer it for us, He then reveals another area of the flesh. And what do we say?

“Oh, Lord, I really learned the last time. I can handle this one now.” And again we struggle and suffer defeat and face our own weakness.

You and I need to come to the same realization that hit Paul: “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh), nothing good dwells” (Romans 7:18). God has one edict for the flesh, and that’s the cross. We have been crucified with Christ. Through faith and by the power of the Spirit, we are to crucify the deeds of the flesh so we might live. When I see that God did it and I had no ability to do it, I don’t go around bragging about what I accomplished. All I can do is give glory to God for what He has done through faith. That eliminates all boasting.

Also, I cannot judge someone else who has the same problem I do. I can’t turn up my nose and say, “I don’t know how he can continue doing that!” I do know how he can continue doing that because I continued to do the same thing until the Lord delivered me. I tried, I cried, I struggled, I vowed, I promised—but all to no avail until, through faith, the Spirit of God moved in me and gave me His strength and His victory. Faith keeps me from getting judgmental about the weaknesses of others, because I know that apart from God’s help, I’m just as helpless as they are. Only through faith in God can I make any progress in my Christian walk.

You know, sometimes people come up to me and say, “Chuck, I have the hardest time trusting God.” Do you know what they are really saying? “Chuck, I don’t know God very well.”
Those who know God well have no problem trusting Him. That’s why the Bible tells us, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). The Word of God reveals the faithfulness of God. It declares the fact that the Lord will always keep His Word. When we learn to know God through the Scriptures and experience the faithfulness of the Lord to keep His Word, then faith is easy. We have no trouble at all believing in God’s goodness and His sovereignty.

To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Smith, Chuck. Faith. The Word for Today, 2010.