September 1, 2023
Passage Read: Romans 2-3
Meditation Verses: 3:18-19
Thought
"There is no fear of God before their eyes." The Law says this to those who are under the Law, which means even those who should know better somehow still have no fear of God. Those who should know God and His righteous requirements have no fear of God! If that is true of the Jews, how much more true can it be of Christians. Jesus called the disciples friends because they obeyed Him and understood everything He was trying to teach them. They didn't take that to mean they were now His equals; they continued to honor and obey Him as Lord and God. I too make a mistake when I think I'm so familiar with God that I can opt in or out of His instructions and will.
Application
If Jesus honors me with rank and title and position, He's still Lord and God, and I remain His servant and creation. My relationship to Him doesn't change just because I've proven sufficiently faithful to warrant His honor. He deserves even better faithfulness and obedience than I give; if He should exalt me, He deserves even more faithfulness and obedience, not less because I'm His "buddy." No matter how high He should exalt me, I can never treat Him with the contempt of familiarity.