All Good Things Come From Above

In today's "Christian" world it is easy to say the right things but not mean them from within...it is easy to play the part, but not be transformed; we see this especially evident among those who grew up in "Christian" homes. Somewhere down the line we begin to believe that somehow we have earned or 'merited' God's favor because of the Christianese that we speak, the service that we do, the ministry we are involved in, or the knowledge that we hold. This reality is a slippery and dangerous slope that the disciple of Christ must be careful not to fall down.

In the Gospel of Matthew we read a profound peace of Scripture in 7:11 "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

conversely in Isaiah 64:6 we read, "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away."

How have Christians fallen plague to this idea that somehow we are earning God's favor or that the so-called "righteous deeds" that we perform are earning us blessing from a Holy God? It is false and very dangerous thinking that could lead us to even believing that our salvation was in some way an act of our doing in which we earned the favor of God in order to spend eternity with Him. Many of the seeker-sensitive and other churches today are playing very dangerously with doctrine and Scriptural truth in presenting this idea that there is some good in mankind. But in Scripture we are clearly taught as in Romans 3:10, "There is no one righteous, not even one..." There is no room for interpreting anything other then the fact that there is none, not one person on the face of this planet today or in eternity past or present or future that will be able to earn the favor of God. We have all fallen short!

Many of us would say that we completely agree with the above statements, that our salvation was absolutely an act of God's drawing us and that we would never dream of thinking we could earn or merit God's favor. But do we really believe that? Are we doing things that we might be more holy in order to bring glory to a Heavenly Holy Father or are we doing things to make us feel good or to somehow earn earthly blessings from God?

God blesses many of us, especially in the United States, tremendously. Most of us do not know what starvation looks like, what it truly means to be homeless, what it is like to loose a spouse or a child, or what persecution for faith feels like. We are privileged beyond which we can really comprehend. So often the good things that we have begin becoming expectations instead of blessings. We expect that because of the way we live, "oh-so-righteously" we deserve God's blessings and favor on our lives. Somehow that if we read our Bibles enough, go to church on a regular basis, and lets say tithe to the church then we are going to have a "good" Christian life. When we sit down to pray before a meal it is as I heard, "like singing the national anthem before a baseball game"...just something that must be done. Are we really taking the time to thank God for all that He has given us? For the good things that have as He said in scripture, come from above? Have we taken the time on a daily basis to evaluate the reality that even the fact that we are breathing at this very moment is an act of His loving grace and mercy? Anything good that you or receive is an act of God and not of yourself. Do not let your hearts deceive you and your pride boost your confidence. Apart from Christ you would not be who you are today and would not have the husband/wife, children, career, church, ministry etc. that you have today...is that a reality to us as Christians?

Yes God blesses us here on earth as well as in eternity. But may we remember that in those blessings we see the Giver of the gifts and not just the gifts. May we thank Him for not only the big things He has given us (salvation, a spouse or children), but also the things that might seem minor (food, clothing, home etc.). It is only by His grace that we are here and it is only by His grace that we will spend eternity with Him. Remembering daily that all good things come from above allows us to refocus our minds and give thanks to the one who deserves never-ending praise, glory, and honor...Jesus Christ the Lord of ALL the Universe.