Apr 24
8
ARE YOU A BEGGAR?
“He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill . . . “ 1 Samuel 2:8
Begging is something that is repulsive to the proud nature of man. When a person is reduced to begging physically, we don’t even like to look at them. There is a shamefulness associated with it that we dread and avoid. My flesh fears this condition even worse than death. Being unable to work, having nothing, and being dependent upon the mercy of others is unthinkable.
Spiritual begging is something to which sinful man is even more opposed. Inability, bankruptcy, and utter dependence upon another, spiritually speaking is absolutely unthinkable, especially to religious people. When our father Adam rebelled against God, he gained an insidiously evil attribute that we are all born with: PRIDE! In this spiritual pride, we fear and despise worse than anything, the idea of being unable to please God and utterly dependent upon His mercy. Pride deludes us and tells us that we are quite capable of taking care of ourselves, thank you very much! Me and “the man upstairs” have an understanding. Sure, I’ve sinned like everybody else, but I’m doing the best I can. I’m not a religious fanatic or anything you know, but I blah, blah, blah, . . .
However much we deny and avoid the fact, our true position before God is that we are dirty, shameful, worthless, miserable BEGGARS! Like the bum on the street, we are unable to work. Whatever we do to earn favour with God only puts us deeper in debt. We also have nothing to our account. Some who are unable to work physically, yet have personal worth due to an inheritance or previous labours, but not us! We inherited nothing but debt and have never been able to do anything of any merit. We are utterly dependent upon MERCY!
I have heard this objection to this truth: You don’t have to beg God to save you, He is ready to pardon. I agree that God is willing, ready and delights to show mercy, but He has never done so to anyone but a beggar. God is not so anxious to clothe sinners that He will not first strip them of their self-righteous rags. He is not so ready to lift up that He will not first bring low. No sinner has ever been shown his condition that has not flown to the Mercy Seat, the Lord Jesus Christ, and pleaded for forgiveness and favour. No true beggar has ever come to Christ in vain.
There’s mercy for beggars. Are You a beggar? ~Chris Cunningham