“For who regards you as superior? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).
I listen to the news and some of it just makes me shake my head. What is this world coming to? But truth be told, all of us have some shame, shadiness, and sham from our past and in our present. Shame about something we’ve done, shadiness in some of our dealings, and some sham covering areas of our lives and relationships, making them appear more “together” than they really are.
Therefore, none of us have any legitimate ground for superior thinking. Were it not for the grace of God, any of those episodes could have led to a very different outcome. It could have led to lost opportunities, broken relationships, poor health, incarceration or even death.
To some degree, all of us have been stung by the consequences of our past actions, but it could have been worse. Much worse. That it wasn’t, is not to our credit, but simply because God had other plans for us. That is the only reason. It certainly wasn’t because we deserved a softer landing than others. We are not better than anyone. We have been blessed by His grace.
So, as I ponder where I am and how I am today, I am simply grateful for God’s mercy, and am asking Him to help me to be merciful in my appraisal and dealings with others.
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