«There is nothing in us that allows us to claim that we are capable of doing this work. The capacity we have comes from God» (2 Corinthians 3:5, GNT).
ONCE, while they were in the city Of Charlotte, in the United States, Billy Graham and his friend Graeme Keith went into an elevator. As was usually the case Wherever Pastor Graham went, someone in the elevator recognized him and said, «You’re Billy Graham, right?» «That’s right,» replied Graham.
«You’re a great man.»
Pastor Graham’s answer is worthy of being reflected upon: «No, I’m not a great man. I’m only a man who has a great message.»
We are talking about Billy Graham, one of the most admired people in Christianity, the man who preached to more than two billion people, and who was a pastor to presidents of the United States of America! Graham’s statement speaks to us of someone who knew how to keep their ego under check, which is very difficult to do in our egocentric society. In fact, his biography was titled Just as I Am, directly referring to the hymn that accompanied his altar calls in his evangelistic campaigns. Harold Myra and Marshall Shelley say that, by choosing that title, «Billy identified himself with every convert walking to the front and confessing sin and weakness.» That’s why his greatness did not lie within him, but in the message that assured him there would be forgiveness and peace for sinners like him.
In 2 Corinthians 4 we are reminded: «But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us» (verse 7). What are we? Earthen vessels. And what is the treasure? The message of mercy the Lord has given us to share with the world. That «but» at the beginning of the verse introduces the contrast between the glory of the message and the lowliness of the instrument. Thus «the excellence of the power» does not lie in us, but in Christ, who acts powerfully within us and through us, in spite of who we truly are.
When we are able to understand the greatness of the gospel, we are ready to place our ego in its rightful place. That’s when we experience that «there is nothing in us that allows us to claim that we are capable of doing this work. The capacity we have comes from God» (2 Corinthians 3:5, GNT).
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2023
“I AM WITH YOU”
From: J. VLADIMIR POLANCO
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Angelica Cuate
