And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.”
—1 Peter 1:17 (NLT)
I am so thankful that our heavenly Father does not have favorites! If he did, we would be in a constant state of competition with each other! Well, there are those who do compete for recognition, but the recognition they really receive is from man and not from God. Our Father has already judged us righteous by the gift of Jesus for our sins. The judgment or reward Peter speaks of in this Scripture is of the works that we do. He rewards us based on what He is able to bring forth in our lives. He doesn’t compare us to anyone else.
Remember that our Father has no pets! There are two is questions we need to ask ourselves. Are our works born of pride in what we achieve, or are they born from the Holy Spirit within us? When Peter says we must live in reverent fear of God, he is not speaking of the fear of an Old Testament God that blasted from Mount Sinai. Peter speaks of reverent awe and respect for our God who sent His Son to take the judgment for our sins.
We no longer go to a God who over and over judges our righteousness. Jesus took the judgment for our sins. We are judged righteous in Him. Now we go to Jesus who has mediated a new covenant between God and people! As “temporary residents” here on earth, we live in holy respect that this great and powerful God is also our Abba Father. Because of Jesus, our names are written in His heart. As a good Father, He desires us to grow in spiritual maturity and grace. He is with us the whole way—disciplining and encouraging us because He loves us.
You have nothing to prove to God. There is no reason to compete for recognition. Allow Him to do His work in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
©2020 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2020/06/no-favorites.html
No comments:
Post a Comment