jesus | The Overflow

Oct 09 2009

Awards We Don’t Deserve

I couldn’t help but notice the flutter of posts about Obama’s winning the Nobel Peace Prize this morning.

Here’s an excerpt from the full story:

Obama expressed surprise at winning the award, saying he felt humbled and unworthy of being counted in the company of the “transformative figures” of history who had won it.

“I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments but rather an affirmation of American leadership,” he said in the White House Rose Garden. “I will accept this award as a call to action, a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century.

I haven’t heard anyone (besides the Nobel Committee) say that they believe Obama deserves this prize. In fact, my liberal friends are saying they believe the award has been cheapened now since Obama hasn’t really accomplished much in nine months.

Before you get the wrong idea, I didn’t write this post to bash Obama. Rather, I’d like you to notice something: people tend to get their dander up when they see someone receive an award they really don’t deserve.

It’s offensive to our human nature. It’s unjust! “Who does this person think they are, accepting an award they don’t deserve?” people ask.

And look at how Obama responded – “I will accept this award as a call to action …” – in other words, “I don’t really deserve this award, but I’m going to take it and remember that I need to live up to it.”

I’ll be honest – I don’t care whether Obama won the Nobel Prize or not – it’s ultimately meaningless. What’s interesting to me is the parallel I see in the free gift Jesus gives to us that we don’t deserve:

Romans 5:6-10
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!
10 For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

While we were powerless, no good, ungodly, rebellious sinners, Jesus died for us. He gave us a gift much, much, much greater than any man can invent, and we did absolutely nothing to deserve it. We did just the opposite.

Paul understood this undeserved gift God has given us, and that’s why he said:

Philippians 3:14-16
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

“Let us live up to what we have already attained.”

What is Paul referring to? The gift of salvation and forgiveness of sin that Jesus offers to those who follow him.

If Obama wants to try to live up to his Nobel Peace Prize, let him. In my opinion, he’s setting his sights too low.

As followers of Jesus we’ve been given a gift we don’t deserve but in an ultimate way, and we have the privilege of striving to live up to it.

May we always do our best to “live up to what we have already attained.”

Happy Friday 🙂

Tagged alfred nobel, apostle paul, award, barack obama award, barack obama nobel peace prize, barack obama nobel prize, barack obama peace award, barack obama peace prize, free gift of salvation, gift we don't deserve, jesus, jesus christ, nobel, Nobel committee, nobel peace prize, nobel prize, obama, obama award, obama nobel peace prize, obama nobel prize, obama peace prize, paul, peace, peace prize, phil 3, phil 3:14-16, philippians, philippians 3, philippians 3:14-16, prize, rom, rom 5, rom 5:6-10, romans, romans 5, romans 5:6-10

Oct 04 2009

2 Comments

Leadership, Missional Living, Resources

Dan Kimball: “If tradition gets in the way of mission, then it’s a sin!” Does Jesus agree?

Check out these comments from Dan Kimball:

Have you ever witnessed a local church holding on to traditions that kept getting in the way of their God-given mission to seek and to save the lost? Any examples you’d like to share?

Dan makes a bold statement: “If tradition gets in the way of mission, then it’s a sin!”

Watch the video and tell me what you think – is he right or wrong?

I believe Dan is right.

In fact, he echoes Jesus’ own words in Mark 7:1-13 (cf. Matthew 15:1-6):

Mark 7:1-13
1 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and
2 saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were “unclean,” that is, unwashed.
3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders.
4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)
5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands?”
6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’
8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”
9 And he said to them: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!
10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’
11 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God),
12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother.
13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
(NIV)

Look at that – Jesus said in verses 7 & 8 , “Their teachings are but rules taught by men … You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men,” in verse 9, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commends of God in order to observe your own traditions,” and in verse 13, “You nullify the word of God by your tradition …”

Wow!

And is this still an issue today?

Well … ?

Is it always easy to distinguish between manmade traditions and the will of God? Why or why not?