A thought by
Larry Osborne, (2009-04-04) from his book, Accidental Pharisees: Avoiding Pride, Exclusivity, and the Other Dangers of Overzealous Faith
(Kindle Location 673). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to
Amazon.com to buy the book)
But we think
it should be. I mean, I want to receive
some credit for my obedience.
Right before
this thought Larry asks a question, “So why is it that so many of us find pride
in superior obedience?” And we do don’t
we? He then answers it, “I think it’s because we misunderstand God’s commands.
We think of them as difficult and burdensome. We hear sermons and read passages
about counting the cost, dying to self, and leaving all behind, and we assume
that God’s commands are designed to separate those of us who have what it takes
to become a true disciple from those who don’t.”
And then he
says, “But God’s commands are not burdensome. They’re beneficial. With the
power of the Holy Spirit, they’re not that hard to keep. God gives us both the
will and the power to obey. That’s why obedience is not above and beyond the
call of duty. It is the call of duty.
It doesn’t turn us into the spiritual equivalent of a Navy SEAL. It’s the
natural byproduct of loving Jesus. It’s the very definition of being a
follower.”
Listen, God
didn’t save us from bondage into bondage.
He freed us from bondage. That is
good news. It’s others not God who
places the bondage on us. But where do
we get the credit we deserve if it’s all because of God’s grace? And there it is again. That word, pride.
Larry goes
on to say, “God hates pride. It’s at the top of his ‘I hate it when you do that’
list. But for some reason, lots of us downplay our tendency to pat ourselves on
the back and to look down on others, especially if we think of ourselves as
being at the front of the following-Jesus line. But the truth is, pride and
looking down on others wrecks everything. It’s a cancer that spreads until it
kills. If we want to please the Lord and hear, ‘Well done, good and faithful
servant,’ we need to see it in the mirror and root it out immediately, at all
costs. If not, we’ll become a Pharisee — accidentally perhaps, but a Pharisee
nonetheless.”
So do we really want credit for our obedience?
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