Devotion for August 6, 2008

Blinding Self-Righteousness

“All the ways of a man [are] pure in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the spirits.” (Proverbs 16:2 NKJV)

Such is the way of a self-righteous man. He sees only what he wants to see for his heart is bound in darkness and he cannot come to the light. The darkness that conceals his true identity acts like a sieve. It filters out the truth and only allows those things that impress the mind favorably to pass through.

This one is in a desperate condition. The Lord weighs the spirits, and sees with piercing clarity a wicked heart sedated by a delusion. There is no hope for the self-righteous as long as he remains so.

His only chance is the grace of God. The Lord must burst forth with regenerative light to humble his hard heart that he might see how he falls woefully short of the law. Only then will he leave his efforts and cast himself on the mercy of God in Christ.

My friend this is the way for all those that enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus said you couldn’t even see the Kingdom of God unless you are born again (John 3:3). Do not be deceived, if you have never come to a point in your life where your sins condemned you, and left you hopeless save the cross of Christ, then you are still in darkness. Jesus said, after the Pharisees accused him of wrongdoing by asking why He ate with tax collectors and sinners, “. . . "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Matt. 9:12-13).

Do you see your sin? Then there is hope! Repent and you will live. Turn from your wickedness and turn to Christ and His righteousness. However, beware of exchanging one self-righteous act for another. If all you desire is to escape hell, then there is a chance of replacing your old religion with a new one.

However, if you have a hunger and thirst for righteousness, if you desire to be with Jesus to see His glory, if you want to be free of sin and pleasing in His sight, then believe in the promise, believe in Christ.

It is here where many suggest you say a prayer, but I suggest you don’t. Rather I suggest you become a doer of the Word. James tells us to, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues [in it], and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:21-25 NKJV).

Give up all self-righteousness and cling to the cross of Christ. Amen.