Eschew Self Righteousness

Focus: Luke 18:11-12 - KJV

11. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

Matthew 6:1-6

David had said if God marks iniquity, who shall stand? That is very true for there is none, dead or alive that would survive it, save Christ and Him alone. Therefore, when men beat their chests about their righteousness and such stuff, they boast merely about filthy rags. The righteousness that keeps the believer afloat is that of Christ and cannot be put to personal boasts. Those who do boast of their personal righteousness either do not know God sufficiently, or they do not appreciate His standards, the one who told the mighty Abraham to walk and be perfect. God is perfect and His minimum standard is perfection.

The purveyors of the laws of Moses of old, were fond of presenting themselves holier than others. incidentally, every time they presented this filthy tenet, Christ was available to expose their hypocrisies. To them, by the law, they had done righteously; but to God, through the prisms of Christ, they were mere jokers swimming in filth and pretending to be righteous. To be righteous however, God has laid down His own life for us in Christ Jesus, such that wherever He sees the blood of Jesus, He imputes righteousness. It is now, therefore an imputation and not as of right, lest any man should boast.

God loves that we be perfectly righteous. But He knows we cannot be by our own powers. Hence, He has given us an escape route in Christ. This route does not create in us any basis for a boast. We are to soberly accept what the Lord has done and carefully give Him all the glory for that which He has done to ransom us from the filth of our unrighteousness. Whatever we give should be given also in humility for there is nothing we have that was not given to us in the first place. Let us therefore, be mindful of the hands of God in our affairs and quit all the boasts.

Please pray:

Father, I thank you for imputing your righteousness in me that I may appear on your holy mountain without filth. Help me to be conscious always of the fact that it is never my doing but yours, dear Lord. Keep me in the realization of the fact that there is nothing I can do to please you of my own accord but by your Spirit. Please let your Spirit keep me in your righteousness to the end, in Jesus’ name. And from today, do let your righteousness show in my life not because I boast of myself, but by the fruit of your Spirit in me, in Jesus’ name.

Please share with others. God bless you.