One important thing all the disciples of Jesus had to learn was that God was their strength (Ps 31:4). That, no matter how great they thought themselves to be,–without Him–they could do nothing (John 15:5).

Humility and trust

King David did this by likening God to his rock (Ps 18:2). Jesus Himself illustrated this by using the metaphor of the wise man building his house on a rock foundation while the fool suffered for building his house on sand (Matt 7:24-27).

Jesus also told St. Paul when Paul repeatedly begged Him to take away a tormenting “thorn” brought by a “messenger of Satan”: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9).

The Christian therefore, must allow God to be all and provide all for him through God’s strength alone.

This takes a great deal of humility and trust–both of which, unfortunately, are not inherent to mankind (thanks to the Original Sin of our First Parents).

Instead, the common temptation of self-reliance feeds into the deception of self-sufficiency, which leads to the sin of self-righteousness.

The truth is no matter how hard he tries, the Christian can never make himself righteous by his own deeds–and that is precisely the point of the coming of Jesus Christ–who loves each and every person.

It’s all in the attitude

Good conduct matters, but with God, it is the attitude behind the behavior that matters the most.

That means, even good actions are abhorrent to God if they are done out of pride.

Because of this–no matter how faithful he his–the Christian is obliged to beg God for the grace of humility and trust on a daily basis, or he will be captivated and led astray by his own ideas of right living.

No one is exempt from needing God’s mercy and forgiveness throughout his entire lifetime.

There is no “one and done” in the Christian’s need for God.

If God is not one’s daily source of strength, he will become his own worst enemy and unwittingly block God’s mercy, and his highly-esteemed self-regard will actually inhibit the mercy of God he so desperately needs.

It takes strength to admit we’re weak

The bottom line is, it even takes the strength of God to admit we’re weak and powerless without Him.

That is why God can do more with the sinner than with the self-righteous person because the sinner welcomes God with joy, but the self-satisfied doesn’t think he needs God’s mercy.

The Litany of God’s strength

Therefore, the Christian must realize it takes God’s strength to remain faithful to Him and:

to admit when he was wrong,

to come back to Him when he was not faithful,

to courageously stand up to evil,

to have compassion on others’ weaknesses,

to be patient with himself in his own weaknesses,

to recognize God’s hand in everyday life,

to accept his suffering,

to become like a child,

to see the good God intended in all people,

to face his loneliness,

to face life’s disappointments,

to face the truth about himself,

to face his fears,

to face his enemies,

to allow himself to be vulnerable,

to get back up when he falls,

to be courageous in times of trouble,

and to serve others with joy and without complaint.

Please God, give us the humility to admit we need You in all things; for without You, we can do nothing.

Amen.