As I shared the gospel over the half-mile-haler, a young man walked up and began conversing with me about how he was “trying” to live for the Lord. My response was, “There is no try, only do.” I was attempting to quote Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back movie, where his actual quote is, “Do or do not, there is no try.” I was close. While Yoda popularized the quote, the Bible spoke of “doing” long before it was written into a Hollywood script.
(1John 2:15-17 [KJV]) Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
(Eph 6:6 [KJV]) Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
(Jas 1:22 [KJV]) But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Can't "do"
I have learned that when someone gives the excuse that they are trying to live for the Lord, they are actually saying that they love their sin more than Jesus and only live for Him when it is convenient. Their “try” meter barely registers their effort to follow Christ. They want to be known as a Christian and tell the preacher that they are putting forth effort to serve the Lord, but their efforts are feeble at best. They have no challenges sinning, cursing, getting drunk, lusting, or lying. Why can’t they “do” Christianity?
For one, it is impossible for an unregenerate soul to please God. Why? Because the “carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Romans 8:7 And in Ephesians 2:5, Paul teaches us that the lost are dead in sins. And, per 1 Corinthians 2:14, the “natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” For the lost, “do” is impossible. But with God, all things are possible.
Won't "do"
Another reason that “do” is “don’t” is that they love darkness rather than light because, per John 3:19-20, their deeds are evil. The wicked hate the light and stay away from it because they don’t want their wicked lifestyle to be exposed and reproved. Like roaches exposed to a bright light, they run. And, yet, because of their upbringing or creative, made-up churchianity, they have a semblance of religiosity but deny the power thereof. Don’t be deceived; if anyone claims to have fellowship with Him and walks in darkness, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him (1 John 1:5-6). God is light, and in him is no darkness at all! https://newheartoutreach.org/fake/
They fear man, opinions, missing out (FOMO), and not fitting in, but they have no fear of God. Covid-19 is exhibit A when it comes to fear. People will jab their bodies with anything to maintain their standard of living. They sit in front of the evening indoctrination box, soaking up every mind-numbing and disconcerting news-brief, ingesting it, and believing it as gospel truth. They feed on the dogma as if their life depended on it. The talking heads told us if we don’t get the jab, we will all die. They told us we must not wear a mask and then said we must wear one. They labeled Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, and other stores as necessary while relegating God’s House as pointless and dangerous. And what did the world do? Exactly that; we did exactly as we were told out of fear. This clearly demonstrates a famine of the fear of God.
Can "do"
(John 1:12-13 [KJV]) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
We must fear God, raise our hands to heaven, and surrender. When we surrender to the Lord, we receive the power to “do.” Philippians 2:13 teaches us that it is God “which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” What a life hack! No longer are we stuck in the depths of despair, sulking with our hands in our pockets, being told to do what we don’t want to do. The days of drudgery are gone, and with great joy, a man or woman of God jumps to obedience. It is like the ultimate X-Box cheat code that the Lord graciously programmed into our born-again, spiritual DNA.
Yes, my friend, “doing” amounts to “being” what Christ created us to be. Paul said it well in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.” It’s who we are and what we do. Many brothers and sisters in Christ walk by as we publicly preach the gospel, giving us a fist bump, handshake, or hug. These are the “doers” in which the public proclamation of God’s Holy Word resonates. They make no excuses; they have no confidence in their flesh. They love God’s Word and simply say, “Amen!” Why? Because they love the Light and don’t “try,” they “do.”
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