HE GIVES US MORE GRACE
Erwin Bourne
Grace is “the unmerited favor of God.” We do not earn
it. He gives it. What we must do is humble
ourselves. We must submit ourselves to God. “Come
near to God and he will come near to you” (Read James
4:6 & 7). The biggest word in Scripture might very
well be the two-letter word, “If”. “If we confess our
sins” (I John 1:9). “If” we admit our failure—this is
exactly what the “Prisoners of Pride” refuse to do.
“I’m just as good as the other guy!” “I’m a pretty
good ol’ boy!” But “God opposes the proud.”
I’ve known people who said that they’d rather go to
hell than to confess a certain sin; or to forgive
another person; or to admit they were a sinner. The
Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives
grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
Pride caused the fall of Satan. He was called,
“Lucifer, son of the morning!” He was a beautiful
archangel in charge of music, but his beauty, position
and power engendered pride in his heart. “For thou
hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I
will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will
sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the
sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights
of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou
shalt be brought down to hell” (Isaiah 14:13 – 15
KJV).
Instead of exalting self, we should exalt Christ.
Instead of glorying in our talents, we ought to use
our talents to glorify God. Instead of seeking
position, we should humble ourselves so that God can
use us to His honor. We have yet to see what God can
accomplish through us if we do not care who gets the
credit. The prophet Isaiah saw the Lord seated on a
throne, high and exalted, and the seraphs were calling
to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
The whole earth is full
of his glory.”
If we’ll furnish the man, God will furnish the grace.
Self must remain hidden behind the cross of Christ.
May we forever say as did John the Baptist about
Christ: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John
3:30).
Erwin Bourne
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