2 Corinthians 5:10-12
For we must all stand
before Christ to be judged and have our lives laid bare—before him. Each
of us will receive whatever he deserves for the good or bad things he
has done in his earthly body.
It is because of this solemn fear
of the Lord, which is ever present in our minds, that we work so hard to
win others. God knows our hearts, that they are pure in this matter,
and I hope that, deep within, you really know it too.
Are we
trying to pat ourselves on the back again? No, I am giving you some good
ammunition! You can use this on those preachers of yours who brag about
how well they look and preach but don’t have true and honest hearts.
You can boast about us that we, at least, are well intentioned and
honest.
The Living Bible
copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights
reserved.
We’ve been practicing on the children’s
Christmas program for a month now. The first night, things were very
rough. We were all just learning some of the music for the first time.
It’s a mix of traditional Christmas hymns and new songs…but the rhythms
and nuances of each song are a little un-traditional. I am an
assistant to the leader, and I was helping the children with the tempo
of the songs. I admit, I was learning right along with them - and
fumbling more than a little.
Midway through the practice, a first
grader got up and came to me and said, “You need to go home and
practice so that you can learn these songs better and teach them to
us!” And with a “Hmmph!,” the child spun around and sat down again! I
laughed and agreed that yes, I did need to practice and better learn
these variations on the songs. And I’ve done that!
I thought
this was funny. But there were a few people with whom I shared this
story who thought it was appalling. I’ve dealt with enough young
children to know that they speak their mind…and this pretty well goes
with the territory.
Here’s the thing…I could have played the
“adult card” and told this child that I knew better how things should
go. I could have spoken to the child’s mother about how I was
addressed. But neither of these responses would have been appropriate.
Any reaction other than a laugh would indicate that I took myself a
little too seriously. And this is what Paul is telling us in this
scripture passage.
None of us is perfect. We all make mistakes.
Some of us are humble enough to admit that we don’t have all of the
answers…that we need God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness each and every
day. And some of us think we are “all that and a bag of chips”…and we
at least act as if we have no flaws and never make a mess of things!
What
does this say to the person who doesn’t fully understand God’s love and
mercy? When someone who knows that he/she is an imperfect sinner sees a
person who claims to be a Christian - yet operates with a smug
arrogance - what is this person to think about the gift of salvation
through Jesus?
The point is that we must serve God with respect
and humility…knowing that He knows everything we think, say and do – and
we will have to answer for these someday. But we must also demonstrate
confidence that God is merciful and full of grace – and because we have
accepted salvation through the blood of Jesus, the “slate” will be
wiped clean.
We must share this same tender grace and mercy
with others…and give them an example of Christian faith that they want
to claim for themselves. We must give them a reason to confess their
sins before God and ask for His forgiveness. We must be the example
that what God is doing in our lives…He will surely do in the lives of
others. And we can’t do this if we are busy trying to be better than
the other guy.
What does your daily living say about who you are
as a Christian? Do you operate with respect for God and a humble
spirit? Or are you judgmental, arrogant, and a little too smug about
your salvation? People are watching…what are you showing them?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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