My Response to His Ability
📖 “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33
Life in this world is full of trials, but for those who are in Christ, there is a deeper reality—a place of abiding peace that transcends circumstances. E. Stanley Jones reminds us that though we are in the world, we are more deeply in Him, and in Him, we have everything we need. This is not a strained effort to attain peace but a resting in the sufficiency of Christ.
Many view the Christian life as an endless struggle—trying harder, striving for holiness, attempting to manufacture spiritual victory. But the true life of a believer is not lived by effort but in Christ. It is a life of receptivity and response, not tension and self-reliance. We do not live through our own striving but in His fullness, receiving and giving in a rhythm of grace.
Imagine a musician playing an instrument. If they strain and force each note, the melody becomes rigid and unnatural. But if they yield to the flow of the music, allowing the composition to carry them, their playing becomes a beautiful expression of something greater than themselves. In the same way, abiding in Christ is not forcing our way through life, but yielding in faith, responding to His sufficiency.
The motto from the Sat Tal Ashram—“Not my responsibility, but my response to His ability”—captures the essence of this life. We are not the source of power, wisdom, or strength. Christ is. Our part is to receive and respond, trusting that His life within us is more than enough.
Reflection & Application
Are you living by your own effort, or in Christ’s sufficiency?
How can you shift your perspective from striving to abiding today?
What would change if you saw every challenge as an opportunity to receive and respond rather than a burden to bear alone?
Prayer of Confidence in Christ
Father, I rejoice that I am in Christ and that in Him, I lack nothing. I rest in Your sufficiency, knowing that my life is not meant to be lived in my own strength but in Your boundless grace. Today, I yield to the rhythm of receiving and responding, abiding in all that You have already provided. Thank You for making me one with Christ, for giving me peace that is unshaken by the world, and for working in and through me as I trust in You. Amen.
📸 Photo Credit: Unsplash
📖 Excerpt from In Christ by E. Stanley Jones