Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Is that Clock Right?

Life at Work
Hugo Wolf was an Austrian composer who in 1897 went insane and was committed to an asylum. He was sane enough, however, to know his condition. Once, pointing to a large clock in the dining room of the asylum, he asked, "Is that clock right?"

"As far as I know," responded the attendant.

Wolf asked, "Then, what's it doing in here?"

There are requirements for being in certain places, aren't there? One of the requirements for being in the Kingdom of God is to be poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3). The Pharisees were not poor in spirit. They were spiritually rich, in their own eyes. Because of that, they couldn't come into the Kingdom.

I used to say that I had not come across many people who were convinced they had everything right spiritually. Since then, I’ve met a few. I have also known many, self-described, good ole boys/girls who just never do anything really bad, in their own eyes. They never go to the cross acknowledging the fact of their guilt, and never ask for forgiveness. The church is not the place for people who won’t admit they are wrong. If you think you're right, or just don’t do much wrong, you don't belong (1 John 1:8-10). To enter the Kingdom, you've got to admit you've been wrong, and know that only Jesus can make you right.

That’s Life at Work!

1 comment:

JD said...

Great post, Rich...and also a great comment, James.

You know, Grace is not so good because God just does everything well. Grace is so good because we NEED it ... not just in emergencies ... but for living. Why does GRACE even exist? It's very reality is a testimony both against our sin, and for our salvation.