1 John 4:10, HCSB
Side note: Okay, so last Sunday (Feb. 3), I was feeling ill and missed posting the VotD that day. This most recent Sunday (Feb. 10), I just plain forgot. I apologize. Now that I've (mostly) recovered and remembered that I had forgotten to post on the 10th, I thought I'd post a very late VotD.
It's very easy to look at ourselves and fellow Christians and fall prey to the erroneous belief that we earned our salvation by "figuring out" God's plan. The authors of the Bible did not choose their language lightly; when corresponding passages say that we were dead in our sins, the illustration is an apt description of our previous state. Dead men can not revive themselves. If you'll pardon a video game reference in a VotD post, we can not cast Life3. We were not trying to sort it out; we were living in open rebellion against God, regardless whether or not we were living "good, moral" lives (self-sufficiency often being the most dangerous form of rebellion).
I don't seek to diminish our responsibilities in working out our salvation with fear and trembling as we rush headlong to pursue Christ, but rather help fix and maintain a proper perspective on spiritual matters. We must learn to rest in Christ, trusting that He who began a good work will finish it. Yes, we are responsible for our choices, actions, and words, but very little else, if anything, is under our control. While we may be able to influence our circumstances, our lives are ultimately in God's hands.
That can be a scary thought if you don't know God that well, but by studying Scripture, devoting time to prayer, and submitting ourselves to His will, both general (for all believers) and specific (detailed direction for our individual lives), we can learn much more--and, just as important, remember what we have learned previously--about who He is, what He wishes to make of us, and how we are called to serve Him.