It’s a dilemma that all Christians face at one time or another: How much does our success depend on faith, what we trust God to do, and how much depends on our works, what we do ourselves? What’s the balance?

A rowboat makes a good analogy. Label one oar “faith” and the other oar “works,” and see how far you can get with only one or the other. Drop the oar labeled “faith” and row with the one labeled “works,” and you’ll find yourself going around in circles. Drop “works” and row with “faith,” and you’ll go the opposite direction, but still in circles. But if you apply equal pressure to both oars, you’ll find yourself moving forward in a straight line toward your goal. It takes both!

"God wants to be our ally. He longs to give us His strength."