During my 40 days, I’m reading a book called Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. Even after the first chapter, I’m challenged and perplexed at my own “will worship.” Let me explain.

Paul, in Romans, refers to sin as a condition that plagues the human race (Rom. 3:9-18). Foster writes, “Sin as a condition works its way out through the ‘bodily members,’ that is, the ingrained habits of the body.” Because we are constantly facing our own ingrained habits (sin), we as Christians, are constantly trying to work sin out of our lives. But here’s the kicker. “We want to make it quite clear that we cannot free and purify our own heart by exerting our own ‘will’ … The moment we feel we can succeed and attain victory over sin by the stregth of our will alone is the moment we are worshiping the will.” That’s our will…our drive…our own abilities. That’s when we’ve turned from God to ourselves for power and influence. “As long as we think we can save ourselves by our own will power, we will only make the evil in us stronger than ever.” — So I’m seeing some new light personally. Even in regards to the post earlier this morning, after re-reading it…I’m really relying on my absence of food to “do” something for my spiritual state. When, in fact, the needed change within us/me, is God’s work through righteousness, not our own. “We cannot attain or earn this righteousness of the kingdom of God; it is a grace that is given.

Romans 5:17 says:

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

The two things in this scripture that are freely given, grace and righteousness, are also two things that man cannot create. Grace can only be given by man because it’s been given to us and righteousness is deposited when we’ve made ourselves available for His inward work. It is through the disciplines that “allow us to place ourselves before God so that He can transform us.”