Today was a bit of a revelation for me, in a meeting with two people I trust and respect, God revealed to me a long history of self-righteousness. It has been a tool I have used to justify or cover-up other sin and this combination has made me unteachable and very hurtful to the people I care about the most.
Romans 14:1 below defined me, the old self I want to put behind me. Luke 18:9-14 is a great reminder of the person I need to be – like the tax collector. And Titus 3:5, a reminder that good works does not get us to heaven but God’s mercy.
The Weak and the Strong
14 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
My prayer today is for forgiveness for my self-righteous, i pray for the people I have hurt as a result of this. God, help me remove this behavior completely – give me a soft heart for correction when needed, giving you the glory. Amen.
Getting Closer to Our God #GCTOGOD 