I heard a great quote the other day that I thought was very true. "We judge others by their actions, but we judge ourselves by our intentions" Does this hold true for you?
Matthew 7:
The topic of Grace vs Deeds is always a hotly debated and discussed issue. Some mistaken a cry for works as legalism but we also need to understand and fully grasp the concept of Grace to know how important works are... how accountable we are to our actions and to what we choose to invest our time and energy into. The chapter first starts out with the topic of judgement between humans. The famous sawdust to plank analogy is used to show our hipocracy and bias nature. It is truely a case of judging others by their actions yet judging ourselves by our intentions. But more importantly, the chapter moves on to the topic of ultimate judgement. Here the distinction is very very clear. Jesus says, "by their fruit you will recognize them... every good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bad fruit. A good tree CANNOT bear bad fruit and a bad tree CANNOT bear good fruit" Then the scary words are uttered, "not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven". Jesus further states that those who hear the word and puts them into PRACTICE are like wise men who build their house on solid rock.
A genuine transformation, a genuine saving and sustaining grace causes fruit. You cannot help but to struggle against your sin nature on a daily basis, and yearn to do the work of the father. It is a mark of grace. You are saved by grace through faith, to do good works. For that sentence to be complete, you must take into account the "good works" aspect. When I was in college, I used to go through many guilt trips. Feeling like I was not good enough (in a spiritual sense), feeling like I was not doing enough. When I fell into sin, I'd feel guilty about it. It is a common lie used by the enemy to those who are not solid in their identity. But this is why Identity is so important. Now the other side is, complacency. The enemy would have us feel guilty and worthless or complacent and ineffective. But the Identity that Christ intented for us to have is clear. Without a shadow of a doubt, those who are saved are loved by the Father. Neither life nor death can separate that relationship. We are whole, we are complete, we lack nothing in Christ Jesus. This is our identity in Him. Therefore, we are not judged by our ABILITY. Meaning our failures or successes. HOWEVER, a genuine transformed, reformed, renewed Christian will bear good fruit. We are meant to make a mark in HIS story. It is just how God designed it. A good tree WILL bear good fruit. Now the last possibility is also talked about in this chapter. "Not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter into the Kingdom". Jesus also says, "For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
One pastor used to ask what kind of crown we wished to bring before Jesus on our judgement day. One adorned with jewels, with treaures alike, or a dinky one with not much to show.
Tis one life will soon be past, only whats done for Christ will last"
