The Body of Christ is made up of many members, rich in it’s diversity of gifts. We do well to always remember the Source of the gifts to ourselves and others – the Lord, and to the end that He may be glorified and not man. The kingdom of God is extended when God is honoured. 1 Corinthians 3:21 – the apostle Paul exhorts, ” Let no man glory in men.” If God has given us a gift that causes us to stand out from others and make us different, Paul reminds us of the Source of the gift to keep us humble, 1 Corinthians 4:7 “For who makes you to differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did receive it, why do you glory as if you did not receive it?”
Colossians 1:27 “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Jesus makes the difference in us when we allow Him to have His expression in our lives – and when we do not we surely are aware of the difference!! Praise God that He continues to fashion His lumps of clay when we lie still in the hands of the Potter. He has a wonderful touch as we yield to Him, He is able to form a vessel of honour and beauty to His glory.
Many people have allowed the shame and condemnation of their failures to separate them from intimacy with the Lord and fellowship with the Body of Christ and have put themselves out for months, even years! The good news of the Gospel is that we do not have to allow our failures to separate us from the Lord. The finished work of Jesus Christ on Calvary made a way for mankind to be reconciled to God, in spite of our failures and mistakes. God did not choose the strong, He chose the weak…..and why?….that no flesh should glory in His presence and that He might be glorified in our lives. 1 Corinthians 1:26 -31
When we fail, we can come in on a “knockout” instead of going out. If we repent and humble ourselves before God, the finished work of Calvary, God’s marvelous plan, has made a way for not only pardoning grace, but changing grace. The incorruptible seed of the Living God within our being in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ, will create the change in our lives as we yield to His guidance in humility. Without humility we will remain unchanged. Humility bears the fragrance of Christ, it is His very nature and attracts mankind to it’s source – Jesus, that God will be glorified, not man.
We do not have to allow our failure, our past, to dictate our present or our future. Jesus, THE WAY, has made a way for us back to the Father. We can have victory and success, not our success, but God’s. OF HIM are all things. God blesses our lives and gives us favour with others because of His great love for us, not because we are wonderful. Jesus is wonderful beyond comprehension. Of ourselves, we can do nothing, but with Christ resident within, we can do all things. Jesus makes the difference!
God has put a call upon our lives. It is a level playing field made available to all who choose to follow Him…..John 3:16 declares it is a “whosoever” gospel call. The opportunities are made available to each individual to listen, hear and follow the Lord. We are ordinary people with an extraordinary God and have extraordinary opportunities to walk with Him.
The highest call upon my life is to live my life to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 “Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” The enemy of the glory of God is man’s pride which always finds it’s expression in my judgement of others and God. God’s word declares we are “inexcusable” when we pass judgement on others, Romans 2:1. Even when we think our judgements are righteous, the fact that we criticize others puts us in the wrong – thus in God’s eyes we have never been more wrong when we think we are so right! If I am not doing what I criticise others for, I need to recognise that it is only the grace of God and His hand of restraint upon my life that keeps me from such. Jesus makes the difference. The pride of self-righteousness is a stench in God’s nostrils. The only righteousness any of us have is our standing in Christ and His righteousness, Corinthians 1:29-31. The only righteous judge is Almighty God because His love is absolutely pure and unpolluted by unrighteous judgement. Romans 3:23 groups all mankind together and displays our need of a Saviour, ” For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins…” God sees. God sees the hidden motive of my heart – it is not important WHAT I do, but WHY I do it. If I “do” something, as unto the Lord, this produces the gold in my life. If I “do” something to receive the praise of men, wanting to look good in other people’s eyes, then it is all “wood, hay and stubble” in God’s eyes and accounts to nought. If my life displays the character of Christ, it is all down to the Living Christ in me, the hope of glorifying God as I yield to His guiding hand. The only reward I should seek is not the praise of men, but God’s smile of approval which results in hidden “treasure in heaven,” Matthew 6:20.
