The Word for wisdom:
Proverbs 15:8 (MSG)
God can't stand pious poses, but he delights in genuine prayers.
The Word for inspiration:
Psalm 145:8 (AMP)
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in mercy and loving-kindness.
The Word for encouragement:
Luke 18:9 (HCSB)
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else:
My observation:
Today we will look at the second of the three types of people that Jesus addresses in his parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. Yesterday we looked at the self-sufficient, and today we will examine the self-righteous.
The self-righteous person feels like they are already good enough to be acceptable to God. They are different then the self-sufficient in that they believe in God, and in righteousness, but they believe that God will accept the righteousness that they have.
Proverbs 21:2 (ESV)
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.
There is another way that characterizes the self-righteous person. This type of person believes that they can please God by doing good works. These people strive within themselves to do as much as they can for as many people as they can in order to gain the favor of God.
If people could please God in this fashion, why did God feel the necessity to sacrifice his only begotten Son for the salvation of the human race?
John 3:16 (HCSB)
"For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
Galatians 2:16 (HCSB)
know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. And we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified.
My prayer:
Father God, I acknowledge that you are holy and righteous in all your ways. Father, I thank you that you love the whole world, and sent your son to die for each one of us so that we would not have to die for our own sins. Father, I trust your wisdom above my wisdom.
Father God, I pray that you will help each one of us to see ourselves in the mirror of the law, and cry out woe is me. Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit, I pray that you will show us the folly of being self-sufficient, and self-righteous. Grant those who trust in themselves the faith to trust in Jesus.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (HCSB)
8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast.
My song:
Just As I Am (Click on link below to listen to this song by David Phelps):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X7FbYILM9o
--
http://www.herbcotton.org
To receive via email: Send request to me at: herb@herbcotton.org
A man's steps are established by the Lord, and He takes pleasure in his way.
Psalm 103:14 (HCSB)
For He knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust.
No comments:
Post a Comment