A Devotional by Eric S. Reamer
Passage: Romans 12:3 (NIV)
"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather, think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you."
Happy New Year!
I am writing this devotional during the last hour of the last day of 1999. Please note the absolute, purpose-driven ABSENCE of any words that start with "M" and end with "-inneum" on this entire page!! That's not because I wish to debate with you the true starting point of recorded history... nor do I wish to buy into the commercial hype that the media have propagated for the last, "who knows how long?". Rather, I am refraining from the use of that word, because to be quite frank - this devotional has nothing to do with what day it is - it is timeless in its application to our lives.
Sobriety Check
Even as I write, however, I am reminded of the world's way of celebrating the new year, regardless of whether they start the new date by writing a, "19", or now, a "20". For some reason, the ushering in of a new year brings out the party animal in so many of us - and drunken revelry is the order for the day. Couple that with the (typically doomed) concept of turning over a new leaf, or making New Year's resolutions, and it seems to be a recipe for disaster, if you ask me.
Measuring Stick
In our scripture passage, Paul exhorts us, every one of us, to be very careful (he uses the word, "sober") about the way we judge ourselves. That would indicate to me that even back in his day, vanity and pride would tend to get in the way of good judgment.
Tonight, I heard a very famous person on television announce that America was, "the greatest country that ever was." As he said that, I couldn't help but wonder what type of response that statement would generate from my friends in Europe. Or my friends in Asia... fiercely proud, and at one time in history, rulers of the entire world. Somehow I think that they would not appreciate this man's arrogant appreciation of America, nor of himself, for that matter.
We are to judge ourselves soberly, in accordance to the measure of faith God has given us. What that means is this: we ought to be humble, and yet, visionary. We are to be confident in the Lord, and not in our own abilities. What we have, we have been given or allowed by God. Foolish indeed is the person who identifies him or herself with the "self-made person". There is no such thing.
Does that mean you cannot aspire to great heights? Absolutely not. Rather, you should aspire to those heights, in the Lord. You should nurture the mustard seed of faith that God has given you, and allow it to grow as you mature spiritually. Then, and only then, will you start to see those old goals being met, and new goals being formed. Therein lies a secret to success with your new year's resolutions - don't tell God what you will do this year... ask God what He will do - and then join whatever it is He is doing!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank you for your presence in our lives, and for your love for us. We thank you that we have been given opportunities in this life to come to know you personally through Jesus, and to share Him with others. Please forgive our vanity, and help us to serve you by aligning our hearts with your heart - and teach us to walk in your righteousness, Lord. This we pray, In Jesus' name, amen!
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Eric Reamer is an evangelist, and full time Christian Illusionist. If you enjoy this devotional, please e-mail Eric at: Eric@IllustratedIllusions.com.
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