Nevertheless, not I...

Have you ever wondered what the balance is, in a Christians life, between self-discipline and Christ-reliance. You have that "I should do more" feeling, but you know that of yourself you can do nothing.

Part of us wants to say, "I just need to 'buckle down'...try harder...be more disciplined", and yet we know that fruit doesn't come from discipline. The Word doesn't call them "Fruits of the disciplined life", it calls them "Fruits of the Spirit".

At the same time there is this sense that you can't just sit back, relax, and let the Spirit produce fruit either. There should be a striving for the mark of the prize...

Sometimes I struggle with the balance between those concepts.

Here are the two ditches I find myself slipping into.1. The Self-Discipline ditch: I decide that I can do this, so I buckle down, and lo-and-behold, I do it. I do it. I think that ditch is pretty obvious. I fail to give God the glory.

2. The Christ's power ditch: I know I can't do it of myself, but I recognize that Christ has the power to work it in me, so I give it a shot, remembering that it is Christ's work. Then I fail. Then I tell myself, well...I guess Christ wasn't ready for me to________ (you fill in the blank). I can end up putting blame on Christ.Thoughts on a practical balance between those two ditches. Scripture references would be appreciated.