Not About You or Me

2 Corinthians 3:4-6; 4:7

As we work our way through the Bible, one particular theme

appears in the story time and again - people are sinners. Even the

“super heroes” of the Bible are not super. Their weaknesses are on

display in the pages of holy scripture.

Right out of the gate, Adam stumbled and set the tone for

the whole race. Cain is angered at his brother’s good deed and

wastes him. Soon after, a guy named Lamech helps himself to two

wives and then boasts about killing a young man for striking him.

Things degenerate until Noah’s day when God is ready to destroy

everyone because of their continual wickedness. Noah and his

family are saved in the ark, but then Noah unwinds on too much

wine, and his son Canaan gets himself in trouble.

Enter Abraham. The great man of faith endangered his own

wife twice to save his own skin and even laughed at God’s promise

to give him a son in his old age. Jacob was a scoundrel who ripped

off his brother twice. When Moses was called by God, he hemmed

and hawed until the Lord virtually had to drag him by the collar of

his robe. Israel stumbled at Sinai, and Aaron made the golden calf.

Gideon was fearful, Samson a playboy, and David (the man after

God’s own heart) looked too long at the wrong woman, and the rest

is a tragedy.

Paul was amazed at God’s calling to preach the gospel to the

Gentiles. He was keenly aware of his own sins, especially his

persecution of Christians (1 Timothy 1:12-17). But now he was

entrusted with the word of truth, the gospel which alone has the

power to save mankind. How could God entrust such a glorious,

life and death message to weak mortals?

Paul is quite clear about it. We are not adequate in

ourselves, but “our adequacy is from God.” God has even placed

this “treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of

the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” So we see that

serving God isn’t about us - not our righteousness, nor our abilities.

It’s about God - the power of God, the grace of God. Always was;

always will be.

Jeff