One of the greatest women that ever lived was my grandmother, or as I would affectionately call her “mammy.” Mammy stood about four foot nine and was one of the sweetest people you wold ever meet. She raised two boys (my uncles) and my mother practically on her own. I was mammy’s favorite grandchild, if you don’t believe me you can ask my cousins. I could do no wrong in her eyes. My dad wasn’t even allowed to spank me in front of her. Mammy always got her way, I guess that’s why I liked being around mammy. The only time I ever remember her being mad at me was when I would utter the words “I can’t.” That was one phrase that made her blood boil. She would always yell back at me that ” can’t never did anything!”
I have tried to remind myself daily of those words spoken by my grandmother. Too often we are quick to say I can’t without even giving something a try. Now there are a lot of things that I can’t do no matter how hard I try. I can’t sing, I can’t dunk a basketball, I can’t wear large shirts anymore, and I can’t get to heaven by my own merit. But there are so many things I can do because of what Jesus did for me. The Apostle Paul said there wasn’t anything he could not do through the one who gives him strength.
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”- Philippians 4:11-13
Paul lived with confidence. It did not matter whether he was hungry, in prison, on the run, or well fed and with plenty, he was content in every situation. His plight in life did not change who he was or who he belonged to. He could overcome because he possessed a strength from within. Wouldn’t it be nice to live this way? What if I told you it is possible to live this way? When Jesus died on the cross he paid the debt for our sin. When he rose from the grave he gave us the ability to truly live.
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.- Romans 8:11
Did you catch that? The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is the same spirit that can live in you. Do you realize what this means? The God who created everything from nothing and holds the world in his hands, who raised his son from the dead, is the God who can live in you by his spirit. I was once dead in my sins separated from God, but by his amazing grace he chose to save me. When I placed my faith and trust in Jesus his spirit took up residence in my heart. I went from dead to alive! I went from dying to really living.
Because he lives I can! I can face tomorrow, I can overcome addiction, I can be free from sin, I can be a light in a darkened world, I can have hope for the future, I can make a difference, I can live forever! So where are you today? Are you sleeping in a lifeless grave with no hope? Or, have you been awakened from your sleep and given a new life of hope and purpose? For those of us who have been given life, why do we choose to sleep?
It is time for the Church to awake. It is time for the Church to be the place of “we can” and not the place of “we can’t.” It is time for us to start living by faith and not by sight. It is time for us to start taking our lead from Jesus himself (who is the head of the Church) and not from our bank accounts, our own abilities, and our man-made traditions. It is time for the church to rise up and be that city on a hill that can be seen by a world in distress. It is time to live.
Remember, can’t never did anything.
