Reverence and Awe

OK, so raise your hand if you have ever thought of yourself as vile. Bad, sinner, wretch even. But vile? Don't we tend to reserve vile for the most sick, twisted people. You know, the people that get headlines on Yahoo that we talk about in the office. There's a reason they're called "villains." Spurgeon contemplates his own standing before a Holy and Righteous Judge as he thinks about Job's response to God. Job--the patient and suffering Job--was anything but vile, right? If you and I can place ourselves before God's holiness our darkness would be revealed like it was in Job's case. But Spurgeon points out that Christ died for us in our sinfulness,

Job cried out, "I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end he will stand upon the earth!" (Job 19:25) How can a vile man know that he'll stand with his God unless his Redeemer makes him clean? Praise God that our Redeemer lives and is able to wash us clean of our vileness.

For those washed clean of all sin, they can know without doubt that they are a child of God. 

Today as you ponder the wonder of knowing that you are God's, consider it in the light of your vileness before him. Then consider the patience, love and mercy of God to even his beloved. His grace has saved us and regenerated us but his mercy is truly new this morning!