For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. ~ Ephesians 2:8 (NIV)
The only difference between you and anybody else on this earth is the grace of God. If you have done any better or have any more it wasn’t in and of yourself. The Christian anthem is “Not I, but God”. Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” (NIV) Even our ability to work harder and learn more does not come from our own skills. The Lord says it’s a gift, and a gift is not something you earn, or it wouldn’t be a gift. Paul learned to leverage the grace of God. He used it to accomplish more through a humble heart. He gave all the glory to God. What would the world look like if everyone gave the credit to God for what they were able to accomplish? What would our relationships look like if there was no “pecking order” and we were able to see the grace of God on other’s lives and praise Him for their unique abilities instead of criticizing each other because we don’t act or think exactly alike?
To do this we have to have balance in our lives. Balance between a righteous consciousness and a healthy perspective of who we were before we came to the Lord. A righteous consciousness gives us the confidence we need to step out in faith and humility gives all the glory to God. We need both of these to accomplish the will of God in our lives, but confidence and humility can be a tricky balance. Too much of one or not enough of the other will leave us unfruitful. They say once you have convinced yourself in your heart that you are completely humble, you have stepped over into pride. Humility takes a self-esteem that few of us possess because it is a complete submission to God and His sovereignty in both the world and in His workings within His people. Ministering to the lost requires a holy mentality not a holier than thou mentality. Ephesians 2:2-3 tells us “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins …All of us also lived among them at one time…Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.” (NIV) You and I and everybody we know were born into this world at odds with God. Coming face to face with Jesus every morning will help us keep a healthy balance in our lives. He wants to minister to us, so we can minister to others and accomplish awesome things for His glory today and every day. To do this we have to be quick to recognize when we start to think we have done better because we are better. The only competence we have in this life to do good is from God. Make that your “heart check” today. Walk in humility and it will protect you from the pride that always precedes a fall!
Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. ~2 Corinthians 3:5 (NIV)
Who in your life doesn’t think or act exactly like you? Do you struggle to love them despite your differences?
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