Determination alone isn't enough
Determination is a great thing. It helps us achieve our goals in life and overcome setbacks.
If you've been seriously ill—as I have—determination is crucial in your recovery. If you've been out of work—as I have—it plays a key part in getting another job. Lots of doors are slammed in your face, but you have to keep trying, confident a new job is out there waiting for you to find it.
For the single Christian, however; determination is just not enough. We face forces so overwhelming we can't handle them without the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus knew that. That's why he promised the Spirit would live inside every believer to help in those battles.
Let's look at determination, then, and see how God fans that spark into something amazing through the fire of the Holy Spirit.
The myth of the self-made man
One of the problems with being a so-called "self-made man" (or woman) is that your maker is a sad creator.
An athlete or actor or business person can have all the determination in the world and achieve fame and fortune, but without God, he or she is hollow. Someone who overcomes great odds is (their publicist tells us) a person we want to emulate.
Not necessarily.
Determination is impressive, but a person who "makes their own rules" typically ignores God's rules in their drive for success. Jesus summed it up in Mark 8:36:
"What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" (NIV)
Let's be clear. There's nothing wrong with striving for excellence in some secular field, but if that's your top priority, you're going in the wrong direction.
I am something of a cynic when it comes to careers. Many years ago, I did some of my finest work as writer/editor on a company magazine for a midwest utility company. But when the business downsized, I was let go. My loyalty and the quality of my work were irrelevant. I was just a number.
Friend, with Jesus Christ you are never just a number. You will never become irrelevant.
Pursue your career. Use your determination to make money and advance in your field. But if you put your hope in your work, it will be misplaced. Hope only in God.
Determination to please God
When you love God, you naturally want to please him. In actual practice, Christians often go about that in the wrong way.
We think God is impressed by "churchy" things, so we volunteer, attend services regularly, and give generously, and while those are all worthwhile activities, God is more interested in our character. That's a much harder nut to crack.
God's goal for us (second to our salvation) is to conform us to the image of his Son, Jesus. To do that, we need to change, and change is hard. We need to get rid of those traits that lead us away from God and improve those qualities that bring us closer to him.
All the personal determination we can muster will never do that. Only the Holy Spirit can make us more Christlike, and he accomplishes that in many ways.
First, he convicts us of sin in our life. We become painfully aware of disobeying God's laws. Then we confess, repent, and with the Holy Spirit's help, try to avoid that behavior in the future. Our efforts are spotty at best. We will be sinners until we take our last breath, but God is forgiving and patient.
Second, the Holy Spirit disciplines the Christian. Unconfessed, unrepented sin can sometimes bring chastening. When we ignore God's offer of forgiveness and assume a smug attitude toward our disobedience, God may afflict us in painful ways, from broken relationships to physical illness. That doesn't mean all suffering is the result of sin, but sometimes pain is a way God gets our attention.
Third, the Holy Spirit encourages. He reminds us of God's love. He lifts us up when we're sad. He constantly tells us we are valuable because God loves us. He helps us remember we are adopted as God's child and that heaven is our inheritance.
Less determination, more of this
We don't need to double-down on our efforts. We need to surrender. God is looking for people who put his will above their own. That type of self-sacrifice was demonstrated by Jesus when he died on the cross.
Surrender is tough because our ego tells us to be our own person, to maintain control and not put our faith in anything but our self. Satan loves arrogant people who think that way.
The wise man or woman eventually learns God's way is best. It is often difficult, unpopular, and even humiliating, but it focuses on the long haul. It shuns fleeting fame and concentrates on eternity.
Determination will take a person a long way, but God will take you home to him. Choose carefully what you spend your willpower on. It can decide your immortal destiny.
