Thursday, August 03, 2017

Falaite ‘Akosi 4, 2017

“I’m #1” – “My team is #1”

We live in a society of competition. We encourage this spirit. In business, competition is “good” for business. The pursuit of excellence and always striving to “out-do” the competition. But as we touched on in yesterday’s devotional, the driving motive and principle of the Christian life is “putting others first!” This is such backward thinking. However, this is precisely what we have been talking about. The spirit of the world is “self-reliance” (rebellion against God) and the spirit of grace is “God-dependence.”

Komeniteli - Tīmote Kela …hoko atu
Commentary - Timothy Keller …cont.

‘Oku anga fēfē leva ‘a e felāve‘i ‘a e uho ‘o e mo‘ui kalisitiané mo e fakakaukau ko eni? Koe‘uhí  he ‘oku tau mo‘ui ‘i he kelesí pea ‘oku ‘ikai ke tau kei pule kiate kitautolu. Na‘e ‘i ai ha fefine na‘a ne talamai, “Kapau na‘a ku ‘ilo na‘e ma‘u hoku fakamo‘uí koe‘uhí ko ha‘aku ngāue, pea na‘e ‘i ai ‘eku kaunga ki ai, ta na‘e ‘ikai ha totonu ‘a e ‘Otuá ke kole ha me‘a meiate au, koe‘uhí na‘e ‘i ai pe ‘eku ngaue na‘e tānaki ki hoku fakamo‘ui. Ka ‘okapau ‘oku ou mo‘ui ‘i he kelesí ‘ata‘atā pe, pea ‘oku ‘ikai malava ke ta‘ofi ‘a e ‘Otuá  ia ‘i ha‘ane ‘eke ha me‘a pe meiate au.”  ‘Oku mo‘oni ‘aupito. ‘Oku ‘ikai ‘o koe, koe. Na‘e fakatau koe ‘aki ha totongi.

And how do the motive and the principal relate? Because we are saved by grace, where not our own. A woman once said to me, “If I knew I was saved because of what I did, if I contributed to my salvation, then God couldn’t ask anything of me because I’d made a contribution. But if I’m saved by grace, sheer grace, then there’s nothing he cannot ask of me.” And that’s right. You’re not your own. You were bought with a price.


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