Morning all
Genesis 4 v 7 reads: “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
In this little verse I as a Christian am encouraged to be alert because my enemy is at the door, stalking me as I make my way through life. However, I am also encouraged to understand that I and we are all judged individually. God judges everyone against the same standard, yet He judges individually according to our natural talents, gifts, dedication, faithfulness, discipline, time sacrificed, and energies made to overcome against what God knows we are capable of. Luke 12 v 48 picks up on this idea.
We stand on our own, as it were, not measured against any other person. Though the ultimate standard is the holy, righteous character of the Father and Son, we are neither measured against their performance nor any other human’s performance. We are not in competition against others.
So when at work ( or at play or at rest) I need to remember to be alert ( not reply on others to be alert for me); I need to behave in the best way I can in any given situation ( not rely on others around me to take up the slack); I need to pray every day for Gods’ help to become more Christ like ( not look at others and give myself false comfort that I am doing better than they are!).
Sounds impossible to achieve – but this little verse can not be ignored and this is why God gave us His Spirit because only in Him can we be overcomers and only in Him can we help others to be the same.
Have a good week
Mark
Amen. we are all individually accountable