Seeing Myself Who Can Do Nothing by Myself

I reflect on myself. I have thought that I denied myself from the first and took my cross and followed the Lord. And yet there remains myself and my own filthy righteousness. I am still anxious about my not being joined to the Lord.

I know what sacrifice is pleasing to God, but I am very anxious about my not being able to offer such sacrifice on my own. Although I know it’s also myself that is much worried, why can’t I forsake myself completely? I lament my inability. Now even my tears of lament have dried up.

In such desperation, however, I have little by little come to know that by myself I can do nothing. I thank the Lord because he makes me see myself who has not yet died completely. My trespass before God is my existence. Although I say that to me, to live is Christ, I see that to me, to live is still myself.

But I am thinking about the Lord, the Word who became flesh and were tempted just as we are. He said that he must keep going today and tomorrow, and the third day he should be perfected.

Although I have already known that life is not mature and perfect in the beginning, I now understand the substance of it, seeing myself. These words truly refresh my memory: “the Holy Scriptures are able to make you wise for salvation.”

I thank the Lord. From what is written, I can find out that there are several sacrifices, not one, that God is pleased with. The Bible says, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ But at first even David was not a perfect man of God, who had only a pure heart and steadfast spirit. At last David fell down before God because of his self that had remained.

So he prayed after he fell down, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalms 51:10). And again he confessed, “Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.” (Psalms 51:19). In the above passage, “then” surely indicates the time of Jesus Christ the son of David.

Therefore, at this time God is pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering. I hope that God will let us know what the sacrifices of righteousness is, and what the burnt offering is, and what the whole burnt offering is.

Now, for Christians who follow the Lord, the whole burnt offering is the problem. Now God has let me know a little bit about the meaning of the whole burnt offering after the burnt offering, which is also a sacrifice of burning everything. I give thanks to the Lord and praise Him.

Even if we say that we were crucified with Christ and died with him, we see that there still remains the self in us. The Bible calls it the burnt offering. It distinguishes between the whole burnt offering and the burnt offering.

Likewise, the perfect faith is different from faith. So it is written, “from faith to faith.” And also the Bible exhorts us, “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:22).

It is written, “Jesus gave them this answer: ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.'” (John 5:19). Christ, who is our life, showed us the true appearance of firstfruits: He said he can do nothing by himself.

The Lord said again, “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” (John 5:30). I fall down and worship this testimony. The head of Christ is God.

Therefore, only the Lord, who is my head, can completely do away with me and let me be joined to the Lord. These words will be fulfilled to me, “For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.” (Hebrews 2:11). And also the petition of God’s servant for us will be fulfilled to us, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Amen.

I see myself who can do nothing by myself. Thank you, Lord.