Ephesians 2:8-9
You were saved by faith in God, who
treats us much better than we deserve. This is God’s gift to you, and
not anything you have done on your own. It isn’t something you have
earned, so there is nothing you can brag about.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
“Look
what I got!” Have you ever said this? Have you ever showed a gift to
someone else and said, “Look what XYZ got me!” as if you had really done
something special. In truth, you did nothing to merit this
gift…someone presented it to you out of love and care. Still, we seem
to act as if we really earned such a present!
I heard a sermon
lately in which the pastor made a very good point about the crucifixion –
and our relationship to it. He noted that during the beatings, the
trials and “kangaroo court” that was conducted prior to Jesus'
“conviction,” Jesus never spoke. Over and again, Jesus was asked who He
really was…or why He didn’t save himself. And we find multiple
notations in scripture where Jesus said nothing.
Then, when
soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross…when His hands and feet were spiked
to the wood, and He hung there for all to see…He asked God to “forgive
them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” The pastor pointed out
that many – perhaps including you and I – have internalized this to mean
that we must forgive others for how they treat us. And in doing so…we
have effectively elevated ourselves to a position on the cross - right
along with Jesus.
This is absolutely not the case! We could
never do what Jesus did…suffer the physical blows that He was
dealt…endure His torture and agony – much less ask God to forgive those
who did these horrific things to us. In truth, WE are the Roman
soldiers, just as much as the men who stood there and drove the nails or
flung the whip.
So this amazing, incredible, indescribable gift
of salvation for ALL of our sins is completely that – a GIFT! We did
nothing to earn it. There is no way we can repay Jesus for it. He gave
freely, from His heart…because He cared. So we have no business
telling others, “Look what I’ve got!” or “See what I’ve done!” – because
we have not done a single thing. It’s all Jesus. I am reminded of a
phrase that the late actor Walter Brennan made famous on a TV western in
the 60s…”The Guns of Will Sonnet.” Brennan’s character, an old army
scout, liked to tell people that he could draw his gun faster than his
son. He would qualify this statement by saying…”No brag – just fact!”
In
this case, we would have to say, “No brag…just JESUS!” The FACT is
that Jesus died for our sins and saved us - and we are called to live in
humble gratitude …to honor Him with our servanthood and obedience. We
are to let others know that Jesus will extend this same gift to anyone
who will surrender to Him and accept His offer. We must live in such a
way that others see the gift we have been given – and want in on it for
themselves. “No brag…just JESUS!” He deserves all of the credit for
our salvation and redemption. Have you been giving Him all that is due?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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