Will power will only take you so far...

Will power is an amazing thing. It can be used for both good and bad. People can use their will power positively to work out every day, or not eat fatty foods. People can use their will power in negative ways to reduce the amount of food that they eat until it becomes anorexia. People can also use their will power to care about other people or be a morally good person. Others use their will power to stop talking with people.

You really can accomplish a lot of things if you put your mind to it.

Of course, there are a couple things that you can't do by will power alone.

You cannot convince God that you are a good person by will power alone. We are all marred with sin, and the only way to be reconciled with God is by accepting the sacrifice that God made on our behalf - the substitutionary death of His son on the cross for our sins.

 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. (John 1:12-13)

You have to accept Him. He then gives the right to be adopted into His family. It's not by birthright, human passion - or will power. You can't devise a plan for it. Salvation is one of those things that you have to accept as a free gift from God.

Of course, if you can't "save yourself"... is it possible to live a holy life by your own power?

 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal 2:20)

Let us struggle this week to not try to do Christianity be self control. Let's rely on God and see how things change!