“No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God.”
It’s not what you do. It’s not who you know; or what you wear or drive or the house you live in. It’s not your bloodline, heritage, ancestry, or upbringing. It’s not your job or the amount of money you make. It’s not your friends or social standing. It’s not your reputation or past achievements.
It’s not what others say about you, either good or bad. It’s not how pretty, desirable, or virile you try to be. It’s not your niceties, etiquette, or manners. It’s not how refined or educated you are. It’s not where you got your education. It’s not the things you own, the places you go, or the time you get off work to go there. It’s not the size of your company, congregation, bank account, financial portfolio, or male private parts. It’s not your SEP, IRA, or 401K. It’s not how popular or influential you are.
It’s not what you want others to believe about you or even what you think about yourself. It’s not your self-esteem, self-image, or self-confidence. It’s not your philosophy of life, view of the world, doctrine of the Bible, or theological position. It’s not how much you once had, now have, gave away, or hope to gain. It’s not your goals, dreams, ambitions, or desires. It’s not how well you behave or how much good you do.
It’s none of that.
It’s not what others say about you, either good or bad. It’s not how pretty, desirable, or virile you try to be. It’s not your niceties, etiquette, or manners. It’s not how refined or educated you are. It’s not where you got your education. It’s not the things you own, the places you go, or the time you get off work to go there. It’s not the size of your company, congregation, bank account, financial portfolio, or male private parts. It’s not your SEP, IRA, or 401K. It’s not how popular or influential you are.
It’s not what you want others to believe about you or even what you think about yourself. It’s not your self-esteem, self-image, or self-confidence. It’s not your philosophy of life, view of the world, doctrine of the Bible, or theological position. It’s not how much you once had, now have, gave away, or hope to gain. It’s not your goals, dreams, ambitions, or desires. It’s not how well you behave or how much good you do.
It’s none of that.
Look inside. What do you see? That’s who you are. Jesus was a Jew... on the inside. I claim to be a follower of Christ. I am either Jesus-follower on the inside or I am not one at all.
“No, a man is a Jew [or anything at all] if he is one inwardly...”
Romans 2.29a NIV
Romans 2.29a NIV
Posts
2 comments:
Dave,
I am inspired to be consistent; not playing games to control and most importantly to have integrity such that if my thoughts were to be revealed they would honor God.
And to your point about only God's opinion that really matters, He of course knows the thougths I foster.
-Michael Rossman
Good words Michael. Your goal to have integrity in your thought life is inspiring to me. Dave
Post a Comment