Americans make a lot out of the idea of independence, but that's actually kind of an immature notion. Stephen Covey notes that inter-dependence is the sign of a mature, balanced person. When I try to live by myself, to do it on my own, then I will always be limited to what I can do with my own two hands. Join with others, and there are few limits to what we can accomplish.
That's true in spades when the other person is God; then there are no limits at all. And that's what I gained when I gave up my independence to follow Jesus. 1 John 3:24: "The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us."
God and I are now inseparable. We're more than joined at the hip; God's Spirit lives in me. He never leaves me alone. That's how things are now: I live in God, and He lives in me.
Think of what that means. I can do anything God asks me to. Serve at the mission? Sure. Preach? That too. Move to Africa? No problem. Whenever I think I can't do something, that's because I'm looking at it like I need to do it myself. Really, it's God saying, "Hey, I'm going to Africa to save some people. Want to come along?"
Want to go along with God? Yes. Yes I do.
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