Life is a Journey
Thoughts on LifeArchive for grace
May 3 Reading: 2 Samuel 7; 1 Chronicles 17; Psalm 2; Matthew 20
Scripture: Matthew 20:12 These men who were hired last worked only one hour, they said, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.
Observations: This is interesting – first, these men agreed to work for a day’s wages. So the problem is not that they were cheated, but that those who started later, even as late as one hour before day’s end, were paid the same. That doesn’t really seem fair. Well, that’s not fair, is it? After all, they have borne the burden, the majority of the work! Sounds familiar, somewhat like the older brother in Luke 15. No fair, Father! I served/slaved all these years! Grace is seriously unfair!
Application: I need to put away my scorecard, my measuring tape, my time clock and my rulebook. God promises grace – unmerited gifts – riches beyond my imagination – mercy, not justice. Shall I sit in His grace and compare?
Prayer: Father, help me see your amazing grace for just what it is. Help me recover from wanting to keep score. Be gracious to me & my brother – neither of us deserve it! Amen!
1 Samuel 13; 1 Chronicles 2-3; 2 Corinthians 12
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV) 7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he 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. 10 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.
Observations: God does not answer all prayer the way we would like. This flies in the face of the name it & claim it gospel. His power is made perfect in weakness. When I am weak I am more likely to reach out and depend on Him. My Lord desires that I live in a state of dependency. Delight/Rejoice in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions & difficulties? That was Paul’s attitude. When I am weak – I run to Him and He is strong. When I am strong, everything is going great, I believe that I am in control and all is well, then I am self-confident rather than dependant.
Application: While I know from experience that some of my most difficult days are some of my best days, because they drive me to my knees and to my Lord – I still have not mastered this passage. I need the Lord’s help to delight in those things. I need to daily see my weaknesses and my problems as an opportunity to rejoice in my Lord’s strength and provision. I need Paul’s attitude.
Prayer: Father, help me with this. I sometimes whine at those things Paul listed. I want to know why, and how long when I deal with difficulties. I want to know when it’s going to get easier. Help me rejoice as I run to You. You are my strength when I am weak… Amen
