"With men it is impossible"

During the sermon Sunday, the pastor was talking about the Christian life and mentioned this line from Mark (10.27):

Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God."

Which is a really good point, because the Christian life is impossible. It wasn't clear in the sermon, however, what was so impossible about it. But if we take a look at the sermon on the mount it becomes clearer.

This also gives another perspective on the "first step" I quoted in my last entry. "Our lives had become unmanageable." We may be so sick (like the alcoholic) that we can't even manage an average, "normal" life. This may drive us to look to God in faith. But we may also experience the same feeling of helplessness when we try to live the life that Jesus set before us, because the standards are so high that it is impossible for us. This also might drive us to admit our own powerlessness and plead for God's strength to carry us.

In these last few months, I've experienced quite directly how powerless I am to do what I had intended. We manage a life here (usually). But it is far from the kind of life that Jesus taught and demonstrated. I think recognizing that is the first step forward.