Reading from Vintage Jesus this morning. This book, by Mark Driscoll and Gary Breshear, gives a fresh presentation of a historical, fundamental set of beliefs regarding our Leader, Jesus. I recommend it.
Anyhow, the authors threw out a line that grabbed me, and is worth sharing.
“As religious people often do, they read the Bible looking for ways to be the hero of their own life rather than reading it to see themselves as villains and Jesus as their hero.”
Gosh! That’s dead on! A typical reading of Scripture ends with, “What can I do to make myself better?” which is exactly NOT the point of Scripture!
Check out these verses from St. Paul:
Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on [keeping the law] to make you right with God, then Christ cannot help you. I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by [keeping the law], you must obey all of the regulations in the whole law of Moses. For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. (Galatians 5:1-4 NLT)
Basically Paul says that if I’m trying to do it, Christ can’t help. Maybe I should stop trying so much and start trusting more!
Maybe the next time I read Scripture I need to embrace Driscoll and Breshear’s counsel and look to Jesus as the hero and savior of my life rather than my villainous self!
paulpetersonlive.com 
Paul,
Interesting that you should post about this… it’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. A verse that spoke to me about this very issue is 2 Chronicles 16:9, New Century Version “The Lord searches all the earth for people who have given themselves completely to him. He wants to make them strong.”
What I’m struggling with is figuring out exactly how to do this! In a practical, day-to-day way, what does not trying so much and trusting more look like?
There are some things I struggle with – like anger for example (like you?) – that it seems like I keep failing at. I’ve tried a lot of different things but don’t seem to be making progress. I’ve prayed, and in my prayers I’ve given it over to Him. But it doesn’t seem like I make progress. I feel like I’m missing something.
Any ideas on how to live this out in a practical way?? How do we really take your idea from a theoretical to a practical truth??
Steph