[Church_of_Christ] Doulos Meditation for June 3
Scripture: 1 Peter 4:11b—whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ.
Reflection: I wonder if there is such a thing as trying to serve God but doing so out of human strength. Would I really glorify God if I depended on my own money, influence, intelligence or power to accomplish something great for him? What if I single handedly built a church, wrote a book, staged a debate, produced a movie or started a University in service to God? What if I took the credit for all I accomplished? Would God be glorified? Would he be pleased with me?
Or would I find myself in a false position of saying to the world "Look what I've done for God—see how pious I am—how humble and sincere—how dedicated?" This kind of talk is really repulsive to me—I cannot countenance such thoughts. Only God's working through us results in glory to God. Paul wrote, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast." (Eph 2:8-9) God originates in the believer the works that flow from his will—then he empowers the believer to faithfully pursue his will. Anything else is base, fleshly and condemned.
Prayer Starter: Our God, it is to you we look for all righteousness and on you we depend for the fulfillment of that righteousness. Only your grace makes this possible. Amen. www.doulosinternati
We don't want to see you go, but if you must, the address is Church_of_Christ-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
Post a Comment