Door of Destitution

"Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous.  He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins."  - Romans 3:24 (NLT)

I have a "thing" for doors.  If I have my camera with me when out for a walk I'll photograph any pretty or interesting door I pass.  Oswald Chambers writes about a different kind of door:  the door of destitution. . . .

We have to realize that we cannot earn or win anything from God; we must either receive it as a gift or do without it.  The greatest blessing spiritually is the knowledge that we are destitute; until we get there Our Lord is powerless.  He can do nothing for us if we think we are sufficient of ourselves--we have to enter into His Kingdom through the door of destitution.

It is hard for us to be on the receiving end sometimes, especially if it is due to some illness or weakness.  Accepting a gift or service from someone forces us to admit we are needy.  But that is just our pride getting in the way.  Anyone who does not believe that pride comes before a fall, is too full of pride!  God gives grace to the humble, the last shall be first, and he who puts himself at the head of the table will be asked to move to the other end.  Time and again Jesus taught that in order to give we must receive and in order to receive we must humble ourselves.

I am grateful for the lessons in humility I have learned, even though at the time it was not at all pleasant.