If you're a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don't call your wages a gift. But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it's something only God can do, and you trust him to do it - you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked - well, that trusting-him-to do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift.
Romans 4:4-5
. . .
It was on our way to the Apple store the other day. We had decided it was time that I get a new laptop. I've had mine for 4/5 years and though it's still in workable condition (for the time being), certain quirks have been a little more obvious lately. A write-off for the business. The computer is old. We need to be able to get the new updates ... just a few of our justifications.
As we were approaching the mall, neither of us were pumped to go inside. Our conversation at this point was focused on how the mall really seems to serve no purpose except to encourage buying stuff, comparing stuff, and consuming more stuff. Stuff, stuff, stuff.
Driving into the parkade (as we were right amidst 'bashing' our society of consumers), we verbally, and obviously realized that we were no different. Our mission was to buy a new computer because we "needed" it ... {I keep thinking of that scene in the movie "What About Bob?" - gimme gimme, I need I need!}.
That little incident stuck with me. It's caused me to evaluate:
How far from the thinking of "being right with God is a sheer gift" have I drifted?
It seems unnecessary to depend and trust God for things that I feel are 'entitled' to be mine (like my wage) because the thinking is, "if it really came down to it I would get them for myself somehow". How backward is that? The Creator of all things isn't trusted to take care of His creations and their needs ...
My simple thought:
Sheer gift = the simplicity of a life trusting in Him.
pic pix: simple trees, Fish Creek Park, Alberta, 14.Nov.2012
No comments:
Post a Comment