“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” Romans 12:3
There are many who suffer from what’s called “low self-esteem”, which is to say that they don’t think they’re as capable as others. Others have an extraordinarily high view of themselves. In each case we’re told to think with sober judgment. How do we do this? Easy. We remember the exigent fact that no one has a gift that God didn’t give them and, likewise, no one has no gift.
Staying focused on God is always the answer, isn’t it? It sobers up our judgment. That’s the hot, black coffee we need after drinking too much of the world’s default setting and being drunk/hungover on humanism. You are the Lord’s. You have a gift. The issue at hand isn’t to compare oneself to others but to focus on Him who gives the gifts in the first place. To focus on others is to seek self-glory, not God’s because it is His business alone as to why He makes a Michael Jordan on the one hand and a short, unathletic man on the other. Why does He make one person one way and not another is His prerogative and we don’t have the information at hand to make a sober judgment. Thus, to think with sober judgment is to think in these terms.
Steve Jobs was a brilliant and dedicated man. I’m writing this on an Apple product that’s come into existence, for the most part, through Mr. Jobs’ efforts. He was blessed by God with amazing qualities and we’re all the better for them (in terms of productivity anyway). As a writer, this is a golden era to live. Amazon and Apple have revolutionized the way we can write and read. It would seem that Mr. Jobs was unsaved and never came to faith in Christ for the forgiveness of his sins. Also, it doesn’t appear that Mr. Bezos of Amazon fame is so inclined either. At judgment it doesn’t matter if you created an Apple or Amazon or won a bunch of NBA titles. What matters is Jesus Christ and your relationship to Him.
What are we to make of these things?
All we know is that it’s God who knows all things. It’s God who saves and it’s not my job to know what he does with the Steve Jobs’ of the world. Sober judgment must include this evaluation: for from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. It will also include this fact: no man can judge life in its ultimate sense. We’re incapable of seeing what things mean in matters of ultimacy. There’s a time and season for every purpose under heaven and God is the One who sets those times, interprets them, directs them, and judges them. In fact, the whole of Romans 12:3 should be seen in light of the book of Ecclesiastes. No one can say what will come after him.
Something else is clear. We no longer appraise life according to the flesh (2 Corinthians 5:16). Sober judgment will lead us to the great truth that the economy of God and that of man are vastly dissimilar. Those we praise on earth may very well be damned. And men like Lazarus, who begged and starved and suffered in this lifetime have been carried by sweet angels to the paradise of God while the world’s rich, thinking they were kings, ended in torment. In all, we don’t know how each story ends – and every life is a beautiful story in Christ, a cosmic romance, a royal wedding with the King, or a tragedy of sin and judgment. There are, as C.S. Lewis said, no mere mortals. We look upon the flesh but shouldn’t look with the flesh. We are all passing through. We are all to be redeemed by Christ or judged by Him.
It’s faith, therefore, that is life’s great thing. And it’s living in this faith (that is, in Christ alone) that matters. Everything else fades and falls and disappears. Steve Jobs is gone now. And someday you and I shall be gone from this life too. What sobers us up from the drunkenness of humanism is the reality of God’s judgment and absolute necessity of His grace. Those of us who’ve been redeemed through faith alone, not by works, have this as our standard. We live now not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. We seek Him and His truth and glory in all things. This is the joy and discipline of Christian living. Don’t set your mind on the flesh. Don’t think of the world and others according to the principles of the flesh but think now in the Word. This in sober judgment.
Lastly, though we don’t know the particulars, we’re told in Scripture that what we do now in faith will not be lost in eternity. Everything we do in His name has eternal consequences! Every single thing. Two men might do the very same job here on earth. One man might do it all for himself and the other in the name of Christ. We can’t see that from the outside but God knows the heart of men and on that Day it will all be found out.
So, no matter where you are, and no matter how seemingly insignificant your work, we know something that’s truly amazing. Giving your efforts to God, for His glory and to the benefit of others in His name, no matter how meager, is a triumph of epic proportions. We see Michael Jordan making a great shot to win a game and, in the flesh, think that is life’s highest and best. But no. No.
Are you a homeschool mom who has foregone income so that your children would be educated in the Lord? Have you lost income or opportunity because you’ve refused to follow the world’s greedy ways? Have you gone down a career path that brings earthly service and anonymity because it’s what you believe the Lord wants? Don’t you know that there’s no anonymity in Christ and that you’re surrounded by heavenly witnesses (Hebrews 12:1)? Do you toil in His name? Do you pray that you seek Him and not leisure and worldly comforts? Do you agonize over your sins and fervently petition Him to remove their stains? Oh…dear Christian child…you are most beautiful in Christ. You who are last shall be first. You…you…have the most beautiful thing in the entire universe. Faith. And the love of God in Christ Jesus shall pour out upon you in the age to come. Glory and honor and immortality await in eternal life for those who seek Him now in patience and faith (Romans 2:7).
This is sober thinking. It’s heavenly thinking . To hear Him say your name…with love…with all that incredible grace and acceptance…and to know that there’s no sin in your account, no shame, no regrets…oh, what a thing it will be. What else would you trade for it? Would you endure now life’s troubles? Will you shrink away now from trudging through some mud because you can’t imagine the oceans as your own? Ah, don’t you see how the forgiveness of sins in Christ changes everything? Don’t you see that you now run a heavenly race, not an earthly one? Don’t you see the message of Scripture that you “compete” not for a perishable crown, but for an eternal one? Don’t you see that ambition in the flesh is futile but ambition in grace is eternal? Don’t you see that loving obedience in faith is your life’s goal, not earthly treasures?
Sober judgment: keep your eyes fixed on Him. Follow Him. He’ll make your paths straight. He’ll bring you to that distant shore of paradise where sin is no more and righteousness and peace reign. Christ alone. So, live now in light of this. It’ll make all the difference in the world.
Recent Comments