Romans 2:9-11
If you go against the grain, you get splinters, regardless of which neighborhood you’re from, what your parents taught you, what schools you attended. But if you embrace the way God does things, there are wonderful payoffs, again without regard to where you are from or how you were brought up. Being a Jew won’t give you an automatic stamp of approval. God pays no attention to what others say (or what you think) about you. He makes up his own mind.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Like a lot of young children, Timothy has become interested lately in getting married. He wants to marry me, his grandmother, and his mom. He knows he can’t, and he told Greg and me (and his Sunday school teachers) that… “Someday, I’m going to marry a nice lady!” My niece told me that last week, Timothy “got married” at pre-K to one of his classmates. A few days later when Timothy’s mom dropped him off for school, the little girl who had won his heart was entering the building. My niece said to Timothy… “There’s your ‘wife’… don’t you want to give her a hug?” He replied, “No, she’s not my wife… we’re not married anymore.” My niece feigned surprise and asked, “Oh, really? What happened?” Timothy’s answer… “She’s not wearing a hair bow today!” What can I say? Four-year-olds apparently have high standards!
Don’t we do the same thing? We make assumptions about others based on their appearance…the opinions (and gossip) of others…or their lineage. A friend of my grandmother’s used to make a point to tell me that one of her grandchildren was a doctor… and she told me this nearly every time I saw her! That was more important to her than the fact that this person was a parent, a spouse, and an active volunteer in church activities! We assume people are wonderful… or awful… based on what we think we know about them – or their public accolades, accomplishments… or shame.
Conversely, we tend to “trade” on certain attributes ourselves. When was the last time you tried to “pull rank” somehow because of who you thought you were… or what you thought you knew? It could be anything from saying, “Let me talk to So-and-so… he/she will listen to me,” to “I don’t have to worry about getting a speeding ticket… I’m friends with the police officers,” to “I can say what I want… I’m a senior citizen and I’ve earned the right!”
If we are honest, we have to admit that a lot of times we base our respect for others – and we command respect for ourselves – while “going against the grain”. We act entitled… we bank on the “good name” of our parents or other family members or friends to gain us a “foot in the door”… or we try to “get away with murder” by claiming special privilege. Worse yet, we try this with God… “But LORD… look at what all I’ve done for you! Surely you can fix this for me” or “LORD, why are you doing this to me – or letting this happen to me? Everyone says I’m such a good, faithful Christian… why are you punishing ME?”
I have to tell you… it’s time we got over ourselves! We truly are not “all that and a bag of chips”… in anyone’s eyes – at least not in the way we think. The time has come for us to operate with humility and respect… to recognize that our true value and stature is not measured as we think… but rather by how we conduct ourselves in all things – and how genuinely we serve God and others. You might fool a few people some of the time, but you will never bamboozle God… and the very idea that you might even try disappoints Him greatly!
So the message for us today is to truly embrace God and His teachings. Honor and respect Him in everything we say and do… to every person we encounter. Make a concerted effort to keep your thoughts, words and actions above reproach at all times. Serve the LORD with gladness and a pure heart, and make His glory your primary focus. Bask in the payoffs He provides… not because that is your goal, but because it is your joy and reward for faithful obedience. Like Timothy, we must learn that choosing a suitable mate is important… but maintaining high standards for God is tantamount. But if your friend doesn’t wear a hair bow every day, it’s probably okay to let that one go!
©2013 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment