The Exceeding Life!
And God is able to make every grace abound to you, so that in everything at every time having every sufficiency, you may have an abundance for every good deed.
2 Corinthians 9:8.
I must remember that God has not called me to “succeed” on my own strength. He has called me to “exceed” on His strength. Success is something that I should not be concerned with. I must be diligent in giving glory to Him. The scripture above states very clearly that God will supply in making all things for every task as abundant as we submit to Him. Furthermore, He stated unless my righteousness shall “exceed” the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees” I will not enter the Kingdom of God. (Matthew 5:20).
The problem with the religious community is they want all the credit instead of glorifying Father God. This is the sin of pride. It is God who provides all that we need for the tasks the He calls us to do. We must remember that Jesus did not come to match earth’s best, but to produce heaven’s better. We as disciples must produce all things in that glorifies God.
Jesus Christ in in the business of producing the greatness of Father God. The two sins of Israel, basically, were forsaking God and not glorifying Him more. There were many Israelites who were not idolaters, but they were still had a religion of works rather than faith in God for salvation. The sin of the Laodicea church is that they became indifferent and apathetic. (Revelation 3:14-2). They were going through the motions of being religious but no longer interested in the message of the cross. This made them very attractive to the world-because they no longer needed God. They relied on their earthly knowledge, riches, and sophistication but Jesus called them pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
Jesus has called us to exceed, overflowing with the Masters love for a dying world. I must stand up for the righteousness of God as the prophets did. I am a poor disciple if the world sees no difference between themselves and me. I must make the world either to despise me or desperately longing of the righteousness of God working within me. I can only do this through Him who is “made into us…righteousness”. (I Corinthians 1:30).