DO MORE
The Gospel of Self-Help and Divine Destiny
“Why am I never good enough?”
My friend was crying quietly as she asked me this question. I wrapped my hands around the warm paper coffee cup in front of me and took a breath. I searched inside of myself for some words of encouragement and help.
We had come to the coffee shop to talk about life. My friend had been pursuing a career path for the past year that suddenly dissolved as she realized it wasn’t something she enjoyed or was particularly skilled at. I wanted to encourage her to chalk it up to life experience and embrace the bend in the road that had come. But there was a bigger problem at play.
The issue was that she had felt God called her to pursue this career path, even showing her that she needed to relocate to another city and go to a particular college. It was all in the works. She was following the plan of God for her life. The pathway of divine destiny was at her feet. Or so she had thought.
She asked me how she was supposed to cope with the plan of God falling apart. She asked me why it seemed that she kept failing in various pursuits. Why did it seem like her life was on pause while everyone else seemed to be forging ahead with advancing careers, families, and blessings from God?
Ultimately, it came down to this one question in her mind- Why am I never good enough?
Other Christians had given her advice like this:
You need to be more open to God.
You need to listen to His voice more.
You need to pray more.
The idea was that once she had reached the optimum level of openness, reached the pinnacle of listening, and filled the bowls of heaven with enough prayer- Then! Then she would see the blessings flow, peace would come, and the divine destiny personally tailored for her life would finally come together. Cue the angels singing!
This is a subtle form of works-based theology and it’s extremely subjective. This advice to do more is packaged in a seemingly spiritual way. The message of the Christian self-help guru is this:
Jesus did His part by saving you, and now you need to do your part to participate in God’s plan! If you don’t get it right, you’re hindering how God can work in the world. Other people are depending on you fulfilling the calling. God is depending on your obedience.
Be open, listen, pray, and finally: Obey.
These checklist items leave us like a person in an unfamiliar place, groping for a light switch in the dark.
Here is the advice we need that the Christian self-help guru often denies us: Come to the scriptures looking for instruction on how believers in Christ ought to conduct themselves. As we go down the unpredictable path that is this life, the Word of God will provide us a treasure trove of wisdom.
“You don’t have to be good enough.”
I reminded my friend of the One who is good and that He did the only work that matters. Jesus Christ took our sin and insufficiency at the cross. He died so that we could be reconciled to God. That righteousness covers us, and we need to only believe in Him in order to be good enough.
I did my best to hold back my own tears, knowing the exhaustion and heartache that comes from chasing subjective emotionalism and equating it with God’s voice.
This has come up a lot in conversation lately. My Christian friends seem to be consumed with these questions: What is my calling? What do I need to do?
Jesus was presented similar questions by some folks who had witnessed the signs of His power. The following passage picks up the day after Jesus multiplied fishes and loaves, feeding a crowd of people by the sea.
“So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”” John 6:24–29, ESV
The self-improvement gospel running rampant in so many places is garbage. It puts our lives in our own hands instead of keeping us aware of a sovereign God.
He is the One who works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
He orders the steps of the righteous (Psalm 37:32).
He determines the steps of man (Proverbs 16:9).
Jesus clearly said that we should expect trouble in this world. Our calling is not pertaining to blessing in this life, but in the life to come. We are instructed to live in hope, looking forward to the day when Christ is again on the earth. The gospel message is about hope for the future world, the new heaven and new earth.
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:18–39, ESV
The earth itself groans, waiting for the revealing of the sons of God- this is about our glorification with our Savior at the time of the renewal of all things.
Self-help gurus would have you believe this verse is about you walking in your divine destiny.
Word of Faith proponents would have you think it’s about manifesting blessings from God.
New Apostolic Reformation teachers would have you believe it’s about you working miracles, signs, and wonders.
The Christian life is vastly less complicated than we have been led to believe, and it is vastly more glorious in its outcome.
When we study the scriptures, they confirm to us how we ought to live: peaceably, doing good, serving our neighbor, and speaking the truth of the gospel.
Your career, your spouse, your choices in this life are in your hands. So long as you are walking in hope, using the wisdom the good Lord gave you, and serving your neighbor as you go along the path- You’re fulfilling the call.
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1–4, ESV
I will leave you with a tip: Don’t make reading your Bible an exercise in looking for what you need to do. When you read scripture, make your goal to look for what Jesus has done. It makes a big difference!
May God bless you and strengthen you in His glorious hope and peace.
