God,
Graduation And Getting The Grades
“For by grace are you saved through
faith. It is a gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast.” Romans 3:23
About this time of year, graduations are
more rampant than ear-piercings at a punk rock convention. They
are everywhere to say the least. Proud
are the parents, family and friends who honor these students at all levels who
have worked approximately four years to attain the famous sheepskin they can adorn
on their walls. It’s quite pricey but a
passage of life that many see as priceless.
The road is never easy. Classes, essays, tests, and standards that
mark an elaborate matrix that ends in football stadiums and auditoriums of all
types to pay tribute to one of life’s greatest and most treasured
accomplishments. There are no
shortcuts and fast-passes. You must pass “Go” to collect it. The standard is high and all who dare pass
must reach it as the path is marked. Recently,
I read about someone who tried to go under the bar rather than over it. Rather
than going the conventional route, he tried the old switch-a-roo and was nabbed
in the act.
A New Hampshire school teacher was charged
with switching university records in his undergraduate days to give himself
passing grades in courses he flunked. When he still couldn’t earn a cap
and gown, he forged his own graduation papers. The complaint asserted that
Tilson typed into university records, a notation that he received a degree,
enabling him to secure a teaching post at the Campton, N.H. elementary school.
The academic pressures apparently were not eased any by being a night watchman
on the campus. His grades suffered. But, determined to pass his courses, Tilson
would enter the registrar’s office at the end of each semester, during this nightly
watchman rounds, detectives said. There,
he changed his flunking grades to passing- and finally graduated himself by
typing a degree notation on his record, police stated.
A Hoistra clerk noticed during a routine
records check that the “Degree Granted” phrase was in a type face different
from the one usually used. Another clerk, informed of this, remembered
that Tilson’s name had appeared on a list of non-graduates. In a word…”Busted!”
God has a standard that all of us must pass,
it’s called “perfection” but even the brightest valedictorians can never
measure up. However, we sometimes
deceive ourselves into believing that we can do just that. The problem is that when we come to God,
there is a part of us that naturally kicks into that old covenant of living. That is true with all of us. I’m
not talking about people who have a Jewish heritage who might have been raised
with an understanding of the Old Testament.
There is natural tendency with all people to work their way to God. Some things are very unnatural to us. Golf instructors have to work with players on
a new swing. In a greater way, we have to work on understanding grace. We have
to learn a new way and Jesus instructs us in that. He helps us to live at a
higher level. It’s the reason that every
religion besides Christianity has a works element to it. All religions are about people working their
way to God or reaching His standard, but we all fall short.
Romans
3:23 reminds us that “All have sinned and come short of the glory
of God.” God took our great big “F” and turned it
into a colossal “A” and took our “minus” and turned it into a “plus.” But only He could do it, not us. No sneaking into His office, no changing the
grade, no typing an upgrade. None of
that works in the Kingdom.
I somehow convince myself that I have to
achieve or accomplish to please God. If
I do enough good deeds...If
I’m a nice person…if I’m better than most…then I will somehow measure up to the
invisible standard. However, we are
reminded that Christianity is about God coming to us. I can climb higher, faster, and farther but I still can’t
attain the measure of works necessary to get to God.
Therefore, God comes to me and makes the way
possible and His graduation achievable. It’s about His perfection, not
about yours…it’s about His righteousness, not about mine. And when we do it His way, we get a score of
100 and pass with flying colors. During
this graduation time of year, as these great achievements are reached, the
greatest one came through a sinless life offered for us. He then writes your name in His record book. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Terry Risser
Reflections:
1) When did you first realize you could not
measure up to God’s standard?
2) What does He want us to extend to Him today?
Consider reading the Word today:
Copyright
2014- Terry Risser
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