During my junior high days, I saw myself as a quite accomplished football player.
I was a starter on the school team. I knew what it was to score touchdowns. I could tackle with vengeance. And I could throw a decent block now and then.
Even when I played high school football, I did quite well until sidelined by injuries.
But then I saw athletes who had more talent than did I and I realized that my pro football aspirations were only that.
Thankfully, I learned to appreciate and cheer those who were much better than me at certain things, rather than resent them because of jealous pride.
Of course, this principle applies in the infinitely more important realm of spirituality.
I was reminded of my adolescent aspiration cycle this morning while reading from Job 42. Here’s what the suffering servant said when God announced the end of Job’s season of testing torment:
“My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (vv. 5-6).
Wow. Remember that Job was the most righteous man on earth in that day.
And yet, when Job experienced the presence of God — however the Lord the manifested Himself — Job realized just how big the gap was between his imperfections and the perfection of Jehovah.
Job recognized that his best efforts to be godly would NEVER lift Him to the holy perfection of God.
The fact that Job was compelled to despise himself and repent indicates that it was the encounter with God that revealed the abundance of flaws that remained in his life.
Flaws that were offensive to God and for which repentance was necessary.
Listen, if the most righteous man on earth during his day realized his need for repentance, we err greatly if we do not examine our lives for choices that should be despised and for which repentance should be spoken to God.
That’s why it is SO important that we reject Satan’s trap of comparing our righteousness to other people as a means of measuring spiritual health.
Job was more godly than the people around him but when he encountered God, he saw his unworthiness and desperate need for grace.
You and I are more godly than most people in our world but when we compare ourselves to Christ, we see clearly just how unworthy we are and in desperate need of God’s grace.
Never lose sight of this fact and you’ll never lose sight of the Redeemer who longs to save your soul rather than judge it.
As always, I love you
Martin
