427. Don’t Try to Keep Commandments - Pastor Chai

Immediately after I accepted Jesus as my savior and lord, I felt like I was on cloud nine. All my past sins were forgiven, and I was given the chance to start a brand new life!

But this elation didn’t last long. It turned into disappointment as I struggled in my Christian walk. I tried to obey his commands but miserably failed. I thought it might be due to a lack of will power, so I tried harder. I failed again. My disappointment turned into desperation then into resentment towards God, who seemed to demand a life that was beyond my ability.

Ironically, I got out of this quagmire by admitting I was not able to obey God’s commands.

Jesus said the two greatest commandments are to love God with all my heart, soul, and mind and to love my neighbors as myself. No matter how hard I tried, though, I would never be able to do it. I couldn’t even keep the smallest commandment on my own!

Then why does God give us commandments at all? They are God’s list of prayer requests. God invites us to pray for these requests so that He can fulfill them in us through His power.

So I stopped trying and started praying. This freed me from guilty feelings, and His commands somehow began to be carried out in my life. Obviously, God starts working when we stop working.