After A
cold DRINK of water, what’s next?
grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked
harder than all of them – yet not I, but the
grace
of God that was in me.” (I Corinthians 15:10 NIV)
The
landscaping crew busily labored building a stone wall around our
flowerbeds. The spreading stains on the
back of their shirts and sweat dripping from their faces attested to the impact
of the broiling Texas sun. Sensing their
discomfort I was prompted to take out a tray of cold drinks. As I watched them greedily consume the
beverages and heard their words of thanks, I was reminded of Jesus’ words: “The
King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least
of these my brothers, you did for Me.” (Matthew 25:40 NIV).
Momentarily, I felt so righteous!
My act surely was in conformance with His commands! Then another thought came to mind, if my
“good deed” merited His attention, wouldn’t the opposite also be true? What about the numerous times I neglected to
notice the distress of my fellow man?
Hopefully,
my life consists of more positive acts than negative ones; but as I grow in Him
and become more Christ-oriented, I need to view ALL my acts as “done unto” Him. My efforts
combined with the guidance and the strength provided by the Holy Spirit should
result in my becoming more in His likeness.
Fortunately, our salvation does not rely on good deeds as we are saved
by grace. However, though we are saved
by grace, we need to be cognizant that all our words and deeds should reflect
the will of He who saved us. Amen