Romans 7:18b for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

Where there is a will there is a way.

You have heard this phrase before haven’t you? Perhaps that is true in some situations. Determination is a part of success. You have to try. We tell our kids to at least give it a chance. We hope that something will happen in a moment to build confidence or character or joy in our children. Effort is esteem building.

There is nothing more frustrating in life than to have the confidence, talent, training and experience to succeed yet fail to find the right path to success. Sometimes winning isn’t as important as how you win. You might consider that there are many paths to success. Which path you choose will lead to the same end. Each path has its own obstacles. When we focus on the obstacles we must overcome them in order to move one.

When we focus on obstacles we lose focus on the goals. As servants of God and servants to people God’s will is the goal, not just to win. People who do not know God need to see God and that cannot happen if all I care about is showing people how good I am at overcoming and winning. To God be the glory, not me. So how is very important.

Rather than adding scripture to end here, I would like to rephrase the opening sentence.

Jesus is the Way to God’s will.

Matthew 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Would you hire a mechanic to be responsible for your car maintenance who only knew how to put gas in the tank? Sounds silly doesn’t it? We would never entrust something so important to anyone so unqualified.

What I hear and see these days are scribes and Pharisees who have no understanding of the weightier matters and all they know how to do is fuel the tank. You can hear it in their speech. No understanding of right judgment, no mercy, no grace, all they do is fuel the fire.

We give opposition an opportunity to voice their understanding and when they speak, they show a lack of understanding of their own faith. They reflect only the fire for which they have been fueled. They are blind to everything except their own fire.

John 2:17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

When all you have is fire and it consumes you, there is nothing left, not even ash.