Reading With the People of God #14 Proverbsنموونە

A Reflection of the Son

“Why do I have to be the bigger person?”

If I had a nickel for every time I have heard and said that, I could crochet as a vocation and teach for fun instead of the other way around! We constantly battle our sinful nature as we go through life, trying to be good but inevitably failing in the end. So many times each day, I cringe at a compliment because I KNOW who I am inside and how hard I want to do what is right in God’s eyes, only to fall at His feet in repentance as I disappoint Him.

I love the analogy of our Christian life being like the moon that reflects the sun (only spell it like this…Son). There is so much pressure when we consider how to live a godly life until we realize that the power does not come from us; we only have to reflect the righteousness of Christ. In Romans 3:10, the scripture says,

“There is none righteous, no not one”.

God can only see our righteousness through the blood of Jesus Christ, the atonement for sin. As we accept this gift of atonement, we can remain close to Christ, so close that we reflect His righteousness. It is then that we gain the reward for righteousness.

Now, this is where it gets tricky. As we reflect, we demonstrate godly qualities that are not FROM us. This means we are to stay in check or in orbit, so to speak. OUR preferences and motives don’t count; only God’s do. We also reap godly, mostly intangible rewards, though the most valuable (healthy relationships, reputation, etc.). Yet, we are used to the tangible rewards and forget just how valuable these godly rewards are! Like the moon, our reflection also serves a great purpose and pleases God as we use this gift of righteousness to interdependently serve Him and others.

During our reading today, notice the qualities God wants to see in our reflection of Him. Be conscious of motives: are we holding up tradition for the sake of tradition or because God is honored? Is our motive for either keeping or breaking tradition or embracing ‘anticultural’ ways a contentious act? Is our motive for gathering to please ourselves and others or to collectively worship God? How is my reflection of the Son?

*Primer contributed by Gaylyn Mott, Teacher, Musician, Yarn Artist, Member of Cornerstone Community Church