December 01, 2009

Holier than thou? I think not...

1 Corinthians 1:27-31

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

A

man lies on the ground, no pulse, no heartbeat. Medical personnel arrive, administer drugs, CPR, and a defibrilator. His heart rhythm starts once again. Was he dead? Did he choose to come back to life?

It’s the same with men, who are dead in sin. We need God to reach down to us, to “quicken” us, or give us life. Then when He offers us the free gift of salvation, who could ever reject it? But dead men make no choices.

God chose us, and gave us eternal life. “It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus” He awakened us from the dead—freed us from the power that sin was exercising over us. Any righteousness we have has been credited to us. Why? So that not one of us will ever be able to say we earned or deserved the grace that He has bestowed on us. We are not able to keep ourselves from falling away, either, only He can do that—and he promised us that He would in John chapter 6. So when we’re tempted to think we’ve got a corner on righteousness, let’s take a look back at what we WERE and realize that what we ARE and what we WILL BE are a result of the work of God’s grace in and through us “so that no one may boast before Him.” Instead, let’s give credit where credit is due—put your boast IN THE LORD!

 

2 comments:

  1. Excellent thoughts, Mary. It is none of us. It is ALL of God. "There, but for the grace of God, go I." We have no reason to be prideful. We have every reason to be humble and grateful to God for choosing us to be His people.

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  2. God keeps sending me to scriptures that speak about remembering our former condition. Perhaps that's because I need the reminder!! I think it helps me to be more patient with the young people in my life, to remember that they are at various stages of sanctification, and that God is busy at work in them to produce in them the maturity that comes with experience. I think it keeps me from looking at the unregenerate and expecting them to lead godly lives. That's probably the hardest. We live holy lives because the One who indwells us is holy. Those who do not have the Spirit WILL follow the lusts of the flesh. Finally, it reminds me that I must be different. Today I just read about Aaron's ordination ceremony, and the strong message was that I was to be set apart. Wow, good thing to remember at Christmastime, eh??

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