Last night, I received some compliments about the people I employ. The compliments highlighted their diligence, friendliness, and respectfulness. I replied by expressing my excitement about hiring and explaining how meticulous I am in recruiting the best staff possible. In retrospect, however, I realized I robbed God of the glory He deserves. Really, I can’t take credit for my employees, for He enables me to hire great people. If He withdrew life from me, I couldn’t do anything; I’d be like a ship without a sail.
Truthfully, none of us have a case for boasting. All of us have strayed like sheep, and if it wasn’t for Christ, we’d be lost and beyond rescue. We’re just like Barabbas (a man featured in this text): our sins qualified us for death, but Christ took our place. We should have been punished for our mistakes, but Christ was our propitiation. We live because He loved us that much!
In this Easter season, let’s get up from pride. Instead of basking in your merit and reputation, share the real reason why you’re alive and well. It’s not because of your intelligence or ability to seize golden opportunities, “for in him we live and move and exist …” (Acts 17:28, New Living Translation).
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:6-8, New Living Translation).