You Ain't All That!

As I've been working on some ideas to use in future speaking engagements, I've developed this notion of how "fooled" we become about who we are. Now, this "foolishness" falls into 2 categories:

1) We become convinced that we are way BETTER than we really are.
2) We become convinced that we are way WORSE than we really are.

I'm here to say to you that, "You ain't all that." Hang with me on this one for a just another minute...

I've written before about our struggle with the truth, especially the truth about ourselves. Our fear of seeing who we REALLY are yields to one of the two views I mentioned above. I referred to these as "foolishness" because neither option represents the real truth. What IS the real truth?

Well, it's quite simple really. God tells us in His Word that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Now, if you are in category #1 above, then you just haven't embraced the truth (and/or the WHOLE truth) of this statement. However, if you find yourself in category #2 above, it's probably because you've allowed someone else (not God) to absolutley pound you in the ground with the truth of Romans 3:23 while missing the message of His great provision for us. So, where can you find the "non-foolish" ground between the two categories?

For this discussion, let's just go to John 3:16 and 17. You probably know it well, but if not:

16 "For God so loved he world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."

What's that mean? Well, simply this. You (yes, you!) are (or were) a sinner. That makes you lost - or WORSE than you think you are for you Category 1 folks - unless you accept the truth of the verses above. Then, once you do, God's Grace is applied to your life, and you are now forgiven (not condemned), saved, and BETTER than you've been led to believe you are (for you Category 2 folks).

If you're not sure which category you fall into, or if you don't know that you've ever really accepted the truth of John 3:16, you can do that right now! Simply confess that you are a sinner (Romans 3:23), and ask Jesus to come into your heart as part of His purpose in John 3:16, and trust Him to do the rest. If you can do those things in an honest, believing, best-as-you-know-how kind of a way, I can promise you that He will follow through!

Now, friend, when you've got that part right, you can really be ALL THAT!

Oh, and for those of you that got hung up on that reference to "were" a sinner above? Well, I like one writer's view that we are not "sinners saved by Grace," but we are instead "saints who occasionally sin." Yes, we are all sinners, and all have sinned, but the Bible is also clear that upon our profession of faith in Jesus, we become saints with a sealed destiny. So, even for those who have been saved for some time, we need to be reminded to be ALL THAT - as long as THAT is defined by God's intentions for each of us!