Luke 20:17-18
17 But Jesus looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written:
'THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,
THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone'?
18 " Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust." NASU
Ex 14:13-14
13 But Moses told the people, "Don't be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch the LORD rescue you. The Egyptians that you see today will never be seen again. 14 The LORD himself will fight for you. You won't have to lift a finger in your defense!" NLT
How comfortable I become in my laziness and in my lax approach to life! I am given so many advantages compared to others, and yet instead of pursuing excellence, I seem to pursue mediocrity. Bill Lane once told me that he was a child of God first and a scholar second. His scholarship was his gift to God for the grace God had given him. I wonder if we take seriously the tasks that God has set before us. Think about it! In James 4:17, we are told that if we know the right thing to do, but then refuse to do it, we are willfully committing sin. Then, Colossians 3:24-25 tells us that the person who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong done, and that without partiality. I’m not talking about a form of Christian legalism here, I have in mind the idea that we need to remind ourselves on a regular basis that our acts, our deeds, are as important as our lives. What we do or don’t do can weigh heavily against us or for us.
Take some time to contemplate that. God cares what you do.
In the parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus distinguishes between the two groups by what they did or didn’t do. The book of Revelation reminds us that all humans will be judged for their deeds. How many times do we have to be told to watch what we are doing before we actually start “watching” what we are doing? Even our choice to do nothing is an action that has consequences.
God, forgive your people for substituting inactivity for real activity. Forgive us for substituting mediocrity for excellence. Remind us of the great grace and kindness you have shown us. Remind us so that we will feel that holy obligation to be and to do that which will bring you glory.
1 comment:
Oh, the dangers of responding to an article that puts this writer in a face-to-face relationship with his own mediocrity. What type of glory does my mediocrity bring to the One in whose image I have been created?
Can it be that the Westminster divines had this idea of mediocrity in mind when they put forth that great question in their Catechism: What is the chief and highest end of man? Answer: Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy Him for ever?
Father, I pray that I may never be mediocre in my joy for You and the finished work at Calvary.
I think David is example of someone who took his task serious. Before facing Goliath, we are told in 1 Samuel 17:40 that David chose for himself five smooth stones. This is no arbritary choosing. He knew what worked in the past, and, what he needed for victory now. Because he took the time to be selective about the five stones he elected to pull from the brook in the begining, it did not matter which stone he took out of his bag for the battle.
Yes, the battle does belong to the Lord, but we have a responsibility. The areas of God's sovereignty and human responsibility are challenging me (in a positive way)in my walk with God. I know, as in Nehemiah 4, that God has frustrated the plans of my ememies, but I believe He wants me to keep one hand on the load and one hand on the weapon, even (especially) when I go to get water.
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