Nothing we do, however good or well-intentioned, is completely free of the will of our flesh. Yet if we did nothing at all, Christ could not work through us, since He has made us witnesses of His resurrection to the ends of the earth (cf. Acts 1:8, 22).
Though we work as hard and as faithfully as we can, He still instructs us to say at the end of each day, that we are unworthy servants who have only done what was given us to do (cf. Luke 17:10), and not only to say it, but know it.
Jesus is with us, and He is so close to us as we walk with Him that His shadow over us heals us of our iniquities great or small. If only we can manage to stay close to Him and not wander off on the paths of our own imaginings, we will remain safe.
With the eternal Word speaking to His Father on our behalf, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do,” we can have no better assurance of our eternal salvation or better proof of His banner over us from day to day.
And His banner over us is love. (cf. Song of Solomon 2:4)
2 comments:
Christians need to do what Christ would want them to do -- and not do whatever is most convenient or most pleasurable to do -- in their everyday lives.
Yes, I think everything we do is still somehow tainted by sin, no matter how much insight we have into our character defects or how 'advanced' we are in our spiritual life. If it were not so, then we would not need Christ to guide us daily--the 'ego' (imaginings) would take over and we would become our own gods.
Sometimes, I get really disgusted with myself: I discover a grossly deep underlying sin at the root of my very foundation, or a messy little smear of a sin budding into a leaf on a top branch; and I have to recognize all over again that I am, of course, a sinner with "inquities great and small," and that repentance and gratitude must become a daily awareness and priority.
I wonder if we are continuously "a work in progress" while on this earth, never totally finished--but perhaps just in a state of vigilance or readiness to be taken home by Christ at any moment.
Post a Comment