What happens when the very thing you’re best at becomes the thing keeping you from fully depending on God? What is the problem with being good at things?
In week 6 of our Finding Joy in Chaos series, our Operations Minister, Jonathan Glover, walks us through Philippians 3:1–11 and Luke 5:1–11 in a message called The Problem With Being Good at Things. In this message, we’ll be looking at the lives of Peter and Paul, and discovering a sobering truth: success, talent, experience, morality, achievement, and self-sufficiency can never save us or satisfy the deepest need of the human heart.
Peter was an expert fisherman, yet he stood before Jesus with empty nets. Paul had the perfect religious résumé, yet he counted all of it as loss compared to knowing Christ. Both men came face-to-face with the reality that human effort eventually reaches its limit. What we are naturally good at often becomes the area where we rely on ourselves the most—and self-reliance will always compete with surrender.
This message confronts the subtle danger of depending on our own strength instead of the power of God. Jonathan unpacks how prayerlessness often reveals deeper self-reliance, why God sometimes allows “empty net” seasons in our lives, and how resurrection power only becomes a necessity when something first dies. The gospel is not about becoming impressive enough for God; it is about dying to ourselves so we can truly know Christ and experience His power. Jesus doesn’t want to be a part of your life; He wants to BE your life.
If you’ve ever felt exhausted from trying to hold everything together, frustrated by failure, or tempted to place your identity in your accomplishments, this message will challenge and encourage you. Real joy is not found in being capable enough—it’s found in surrendering completely to Jesus.
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