And You...?

December 19

God has allowed man no latitude for boasting of himself. Oh, that is not to say that unregenerate man is not boastful and proud in his own conceit. That is not to say that even among the redeemed there are not those whose estimation of themselves is far too high. That is to say, GOD has allowed man no latitude for boasting for we are nothing; He is everything.

John the Baptist stated it quite succinctly in John 3:30. John had been baptizing in the Jordan River. Jesus approached him to be baptized. The Baptizer initially refused saying that it was he who needed to be baptized by Jesus. Although Jesus was immersed by John as a springboard to His ministry, the conclusion John reached was one all who profess faith in Christ must come to: “He must increase; I must decrease.”

God loves man and has given His “unspeakable Gift,” II Corinthians 9:15, for man but that is because God loves, not because man is worthy. When Jesus, Heaven’s sinless perfection, came and took the punishment upon Himself that sinful man deserves, it was a complete exchange.

Holiness overcame evil for every man who would be willing to exchange his sin and failure for the Lord’s perfect righteousness. As Paul says in Titus 3:7, “Having been justified by His grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.” We lay aside all that we are and receive all that He is.

We forsake our earthly treasure and receive to ourselves His eternal reward. If our eyes are consumed with the things of life, we may feel we give up something to become His heirs; but if we see life as the vapor that it is, we know we have lost nothing. We who are nothing and have nothing, have gained all.

The eyes of sinful man are unable to see that truth. The earthbound man whose eyes are fixed upon and enthralled with the faux gold of earth cannot see glory of Heaven’s treasure. As I John 2:16 says, “Everything in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life come not from God…”

When we are consumed with the things of earth because our pride demands that we have them or at least strive to attain them, we cannot truly appropriate the things of Heaven. When we have “denied ourselves, taken up our cross and followed Jesus according to Matthew 16:24 and Luke 9:23, it is then that our focus can be fully upon the Lord and His plan for us and upon our goal of Heaven.

Until then, we can only be like the rich young ruler (see Mark 10:17-27) who was fascinated by the treasure of Heaven but unwilling to relinquish the wealth of earth to attain it. Where do we stand? Where do you stand? Where do I stand as regards pride in what I have or who I am in the eyes of the world? Do I care for the things that are fleeting away or do I care for the things that are eternal? And you…?