Its one thing to understand, its another to experience it...............HIS WILL
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, Blessed be your name............
We tend to blame others for our failures , and take credit for our success....
By what standard does God measure success?
This book is written for those who believe they are failures and for those who falsely believe they aren't! It is a message of hope for those who are filled with regret; it is a message designed to disturb those who mistakenly feel they have " made it" in life.
If money is a basis of judging success or failure, it is obvious that Jesus Christ was a failure!
Consider this : when HE had to pay taxes , He asked Peter to find a coin in a fish's mouth.
Why? He didn't have a coin of His own!
Christ was born under the shelter of a stables roof. Most of us would be appalled if our children could not be born in a modern hospital!
When He died , the soldiers cast lots for His garment. That was all He owned of this worlds goods.
He died naked , in the presence of gawking bystanders.
Was Christ a failure? Yes if money was the standard by which he was judged. The foxes have holes , the birds of the air have nests, but the SON of man did not have a place He could call home.
Of course earning money ( and even saving some ) is both legitimate and necessary. But the amount we earn is not a barometer of God's blessing. The sun rises on the righteous as well as the wicked.
In fact, it is usually the wicked who prosper and God's children who are often penniless.
Yet, even Christians ( who above all people on earth should know better) still think they are better or worse than others because of the amount they earn! Money does not commend us to God!
Remember the parable of the rich man and Lazarus?
In the book of James , worldliness is specifically described as an attitude of personal favoritism. It is seeking the friendship of the rich and famous and ignoring the poor. ( James 2: 1-10 )
Take Heart ! When Christ was on earth He predicted that someday Peter would have his hands stretched out and someone else would clothe him and car him where he did not wish to go , that is , to his martyrdom. When Peter heard this , he was distressed. He wondered what would happen to his friend John. Would he live until Christ returned , or would he die a horrible death too?
So Peter asked , " Lord and what about this man?"
Christ's reply. " If I want him to remain until I come , what is that to you? YOU FOLLOW ME !
( John 21:21-22)
If God wishes to bless others with more than us , if they are famous and we are unknown, if they are wealthy and we are poor, if they are gifted and we are mediocre- what is that to us? Christ says to us individually , You follow ME!"
A spirit of comparison is worldly, and carnal. Read Paul's words carefully : " For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves , and compare themselves with themselves , they are without understanding" ( 2 Co 10:12 )
As Christ would say, " You follow ME!"
Heaven will be filled with surprises! Many "successful" Christians will be nobodies and some whose lives were strewn with the wreckage of one failure after another will be great in the kingdom.
Most of us have unclear ( usually false) notions of success. We hear testimonies of converted movie stars , professional singers , or those who are "successful" in some vocation. Unconsciously , we assume that all Christians should be like them.
Perhaps we have forgotten that not many wise, noble, and mighty are chosen by God. We judge ourselves and others by a false standard.
A few noble, wise and gifted are called. But they are the exceptions. God usually chooses the weak , the ordinary, and the Despised.
Why then do so many of us believe we are failures ?
Perhaps we have we have a totally false notion of success.
As Christ would say, " You follow ME!"
No comments:
Post a Comment