I am a pretty good person.Why would you say I'm a sinner? That sounds pretty bad.
I think most of us consider ourselves as "pretty good." Right? After all, we don't steal, we don't cheat, we're as nice as anyone else. This is the true dilemma.
I once heard a speaker say that until a person is convinced that their sin is utterly sinful they don't see need of a Savior. I try to keep that in mind when I'm taking a good look at myself. It helps me to ask God to illuminate my heart. After all, that's where my deep down thoughts really originate.
Just last night I was faced with one of those times where I looked good on the outside, but I knew on the inside I was purely selfish. I have someone in my life with whom God continually challenges me to step out of my selfish nature. He keeps asking me to do things that are out of my comfort zone. I really hesitate to even share because none of us want to look bad, right?
But, none of us learn from a person's successes. We just say, "well, good for you." We can however, learn from a person's mistakes, from their challenges. So, here's my ugly. It was a simple act of giving someone a ride home. It was just out of my way. It was late in the evening. The person kind of expected it (which to be honest, kind of annoyed me). Wow, is this too much honesty? So, cut to the chase, I obeyed. I did what I felt God wanted me to and gave this person a ride home. But did I do it with a happy heart? Did I do it willingly or grudgingly? I did it. That's about all I can say.
So, what does this have to do with sin? In the big scheme of things this seems pretty small and most would not even consider my attitude a sin. But I know what the book of James says about sin, "If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them" (James 4:17). For me, I knew God wanted me to do this simple act out of a right heart, to be generous with my time. It's what I've prayed for, after all--to have a generous heart.
Ready for the hopeful part? It's this verse! When I was helpless and sinful, Christ died for me. He didn't wait for me to become perfect, because I never will be. He loved me right where I was. For some of us the levels of sin seem so wide apart--but we're the ones who categorize sin, not God. He equates hate with murder, yet Christ still died for the murderer (big sin in our eyes), at the time of the murder. He loves me where I am right now. He loves me enough to pay my penalty and reach down a hand to lift me up to higher ground.
Do you need a hand up today? Are you doing some introspection that hurts? At a time when you were helpless to erase the wrong you did He paid your penalty.
Comments