Giddy with delight, my young son Elias slipped out of the room that served as a temporary nursery to newborn kittens. His mother had warned him not to touch them, so she asked, “Did you touch the kitties, Elias?”
“No!” he said earnestly. Mom wasn’t fooled, so she probed a bit further. “Were they soft?” “Yes,” he volunteered, “and the black one mewed.”
In a toddler, such duplicity is cute. But Elias’ disobedience underscores our human condition. No one had to teach the 4-year-old fabricator to fib. He lied because such self-centered behavior is as natural to us as breathing. “I was born a sinner,” wrote the songwriter David in his classic confession. “Yes, from the moment my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5). The New Testament adds this: “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone” (Romans 5:12). That depressing news applies equally to kings, 4-year-olds, and you and me.
Scripture passages that point out our hell-bent tendencies could leave us feeling hopelessly guilt-ridden. But, by God’s grace, there’s hope! “God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were,” wrote Paul. “But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant” (Romans 5:20).
We sometimes have a vague view of God behaving as a divine policeman, waiting for us to blow it so He can cuff us and curtail our freedom. But the one who accuses us is not God. Rather, it’s our archenemy the devil (Revelation 12:7-10). Our heavenly Father is all about grace, forgiveness, and restoration. We have only to come to Him in faith and repentance.
The happy conclusion is this: “There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
More:
According to John 3:16- 18, what is the reason God sent His Son Jesus into the world? What does it say is not the reason?
Next:
Do you see God as eager to forgive or quick to judge? What does the Bible say about His character?
sonalim on January 25, 2011 at 9:52 pm
We all know in our hearts that it is impossible to please God when all we think about is exalting ourselves. Often, when we examine ourselves, even though outwardly we are carrying out the will of God, inwardly we are dwelling in our own glory when we meet with success.
During a rough patch in my life, a time i experienced the grace of God in abandance, i also received a lot of glory about how i was handling everything. Deep down, though i knew it was nothing but grace that got me through, i had no courage to say so, so afraid it must sound odd!
Now, instead of being guilt striken, i have simply taken everything to the Lord in prayer. That He would help me give Him alone all glory He deserves, Put the right words in my mouth, that they may be well seasoned at all times and teach me to humbly carry out His work and i know his work in me has already begun!!
tim gustafson on January 25, 2011 at 1:14 pm
learning2serve: That’s inspiring! Thanks for your perceptions and insight today.
tom felten on January 25, 2011 at 4:07 pm
Good insights, learning2serve. God leads us to be stewards of all He has provided and to do it humbly as His servant. Jesus provided the ultimate example for us to follow: “Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:6-11). May we glorify our gracious, loving God by living like His Son!