This week at Men's Fraternity, we were asked to share and discuss our Life Verse. Mine is found in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5:16... Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
One of the major reasons this verse speaks into my life is because I have always struggled with pride. I often think more of myself than I should. I'll dig into that a little more in a few minutes, but one of the biggest side effects of pride is disappointment. When we place our trust in ourselves, we look at our shortcomings as failures and follow that to the end result of considering ourselves failures.
But this is not about me. It's not about us. We are not the beginning or the end of what we do and who we are. We are recipients and conduits of all we have and are. Here is what the apostle Paul says about that...
Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart....
For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:1, 5-7 NIV)
We are not living for ourselves or from ourselves. We are reflectors of the light that comes from God, the goodness that brings light into the darkness. Our lives are a living sermon designed to speak forth the wonderful gifts that God has lavished upon us.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, and in the midst of the Creation story we encounter the pinnacle of God's creation, mankind, embodied in Adam and Eve. But it doesn't take long for pride to creep into the picture. Adam and Eve are deceived to believe that they can be like God. Instead of relishing the role they were given in God's world, they wanted to be "more." And in the process, they gave up the wonderful blessings God had given them.
Since then, God has been in the business of restoring the world. Through prophets, priests, and other people, God worked to make his creation the way he intended. This plan culminated in the coming of Jesus Christ, the ultimate, perfect human who showed the world what it means to fully live into our purpose and mission, making all things new.
While Christ's life, death, burial, and resurrection brought forth something new, our work is not yet done. Until Christ returns again, we are God's partners in making all things new. Paul describes it this way...
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:17-20 NIV)
When we are in Christ, we are conduits of the new life. We are made to offer glimpses into how things will be on that great and wonderful day. Renewal and restoration is not only something that will come when Christ returns; it is our daily mission now. We are Christ's representatives in this world, engaging in the work of reconciliation. Reconciliation in our homes, our families, our workplaces, our communities, and ultimately, the world.
But if we depend on ourselves to accomplish this, we will fall right back into that trap of pride. Yes, we are all blessed with various gifts and abilities, but they are not from us, but for us to use to bless others. Pride tells us that we are self-made. But in the kingdom, we learn that we are formed by God and given these gifts to care for, develop, and use for the betterment of the world and the expansion of God's kingdom.
As Paul begins to conclude his letter to the Corinthian church, he talks about his own weaknesses and shares these words...
But he (Christ) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV)
As I said earlier, I have struggled with pride most of my life. I often think more of myself and my gifts and abilities than I should. But Matthew 5:16 reminds me that I am a reflector, not a source of light. The goodness I display is not my own and the good works I perform are not out of my strength. God has been so good to me and blessed me so richly, but I continue to struggle with giving him the glory and the honor. I still find myself wanting to take credit at times.
God, thank you for your grace and mercy that I so often take for granted. Thank you that even in the midst of pride, you take the broken jar of clay that is my life, pour in your power, and make it possible for me to partner with you in the ongoing mission of making all things new, shining your light into this world that is filled with darkness.
shine!
Jason
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