Swallowing Our Pride: ‘I'm Not That Bad’
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Living Free Every Day®
A ministry of LivingFree.org
Today's Scripture
"For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood." Romans 3:23-25 NLT
Thoughts for Today
"I'm not that bad. I'm a pretty good person—better than most. Of course, I'll go to heaven."
This is the most dangerous kind of pride a person can have.
We cannot go to heaven on our own. We all need Jesus.
Consider this …
We all need to come to a point where we realize we cannot perfectly obey God's law. Jesus is the only one who has lived a perfect life on earth. We have all sinned. When we realize this, we have a choice to make. Will we trust in Christ ... or will we continue in our stubborn pride and unbelief? Will we protest to God saying, "I'm not that bad."
If we admit we have sinned and that the consequences of sin are spiritual death and eternity in hell, we recognize we have to humbly depend on God's mercy and grace. Our only recourse is to turn to Christ and ask him to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
When we turn to the cross and believe Jesus died in our place, our pride is demolished. We realize we caused the infinite pain Christ endured so we could be forgiven and spend eternity in heaven with him.
If you've not made this decision, don't delay. Consider today's scripture. You, like everyone, have sinned. The punishment for that sin is death. But God loves you so much, he sent his son, Jesus, to earth to die on the cross, paying the penalty for your sin. But you must accept his gift.
Are you ready to swallow your pride? To admit you need Jesus? He loves you with a love so great we cannot even begin to grasp its magnitude. Turn to him today.
Prayer
Father, thank you for sending Jesus to pay the penalty for my sin. I realize now I cannot make it on my own. I know I need Jesus. Please forgive my sins. I invite Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. In his name ...
These thoughts were drawn from … Completely Free! A Group Study of Romans 1-8 by Dan Strickland. Everyone struggles from time-to-time, but we can have confidence that in Christ we are completely free from sin's slavery, from condemnation, and from fear of failure. This group study of Romans 1-8 and 12 helps Christians break out of the dull routine of a stagnant spiritual life. Applying the truths found in Romans can transform any believer into a person eager to follow God's will. This study can also serve as a powerful evangelistic tool by explaining the message of salvation as presented in Romans. Suggested uses include home Bible studies, cell groups, Sunday school classes, support groups and personal enrichment.
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