The Beatitudinal Journey From “I Can’t” to “God Can”

Why do I love it when people say, “I can’t”, to something that would so obviously please our heavenly Father? Because I know that all of us must see our own poverty of spirit in being righteous by our own efforts in order that we may experience the righteousness of God that is by grace through faith.

Why do I not accept it when people say, “I can’t”, to something God’s word calls them to put into practice? Because I know that the grace of God is always working to lead us into the experience of God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will, and that “everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (I John 5:4).

In the Beatitudes of Matthew 5:3-12, Jesus shows a transforming experience of blessing which begins by facing the poverty of our spirits, mourning what’s wrong with us, meekly accepting we cannot fix ourselves, and so hungering and thirsting for the righteousness that can only be experienced by faith. If we miss the “blessed are”, at the beginning of each transforming characteristic, we might see the first half of the Beatitudes as rather negative and hopeless.

However, when we surrender to such a gracious work of God as to convince us there is no hope of us ever attaining righteousness through good behavior, we can then become the people who are merciful as our God is merciful.

We then experience what a pure heart feels like when we truly want to keep in step with the Holy Spirit rather than pursue anything of the flesh.

We are constantly transformed into the peacemakers who are at peace with turning the world upside down in order to find lost sheep they can lead to peace with God through the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And, our overriding, single-hearted, sincere and pure devotion to Jesus Christ, leads us to rejoice when we experience the same suffering for righteousness as he experienced when he walked among us in the flesh.

So, when I hear (or see) a professing child of God demonstrating a deep-seated belief that they cannot do the revealed will of God, I seek to know whether they are on the prideful side of, “I can’t”, where they really believe that not knowing how to join God in his work justifies them in saying, “and so I won’t”.

Or, whether they are on the humble and brokenhearted side of, “I can’t”, where they really believe they are surrendering to the grace of their heavenly Father who can do in them everything he pleases.

Once I know where they're at, I know how I am to join God in his work with the ministry they need.

© 2016 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com

Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.)