Be More Humble Than Proud...Willing To Confess Than Argue Righteousness....Loving And KInd Than Judgmental

Romans 2:21-24 - Yes, you teach others—then why don’t you teach yourselves? You tell others not to steal—do you steal? You say it is wrong to commit adultery—do you do it? You say “Don’t pray to idols” and then make money your god instead.  You are so proud of knowing God’s laws, but you dishonor him by breaking them.  No wonder the Scriptures say that the world speaks evil of God because of you.

 

Paul was trying to help the Christians at Rome understand that sin had no levels of severity.  Anything that kept God from being number one in their lives was a sin…and all sin would be punished the same way.  God’s judgment will not be run like the courts…it will be a simple verdict…guilty…or forgiven.  All who are found guilty will be sentenced to death…all who have been forgiven and repented of the sin in their lives will be granted a home in Heaven.

 

Paul was trying to help them see the importance of humility in their hearts….that we all think too highly of ourselves. Paul wanted these early Christians to understand the difference in a spirit filled confidence….and a self-filled ego. Repenting and confessing sin….turning our lives over to God and letting him give us the power to resist sin…instead of letting sin find ways of justifying itself within our lives.

 

I am guilty…I admit a newly identified sin to God every morning…sometimes more than once a day. That’s what happens when you start to talk with Him every day.  He sweetly reminds me every time I read His word that I need to focus on ridding my heart of one more twisted thought that leads me to sin. I will be a sinner the rest of my life…but the neat thing about knowing God personally is that He can forgive me and allow me to purge my life of that sin so I can be with Him in Heaven someday.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that sin is sin…and I am a sinner. Forgive me for the times that I let sin make me too proud and self-righteous to see the sins that you need removed from my life.  Help me to always be more humble than proud …more willing to confess than argue righteousness….more loving and kind than judgmental.  Amen.