Browsed by
Tag: self-righteousness

Emotional Holy Week Roller Coaster

Emotional Holy Week Roller Coaster

Comments 0 Comment

The emotional Holy Week roller coaster starts with Palm Sunday and its sweet taste of success and popularity as the crowds cheer Jesus on as he entered Jerusalem. It follows with the bitter taste of failure and betrayal as Jesus is crucified on Good Friday. Thankfully, the ride does not end there. We finish the tour with the elated resurrection joy on Sunday. How do you deal with all this? Jesus takes all our false expectations, all our self-righteous thoughts,…

Read More Read More

When Grace Reigns in You

When Grace Reigns in You

Comments 0 Comment

Does grace reign in you? This is an important question for every believer. If grace doesn’t reign in you, either sin or self-righteousness rules you. Neither brings life or freedom. Only grace does. Abundantly. When grace reigns in you, all is well. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:21, NLT,*)…

Read More Read More

Grace Is Sufficient

Grace Is Sufficient

Comments 0 Comment

I’ve been touched by a gospel story this week. In some ways, it captures what I’ve been trying to learn to convey to you. Grace is sufficient and the only way to heaven. So it’s finally time to stop trying to earn it (or run from it). He [Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and…

Read More Read More

Self-Righteousness Is Ugly

Self-Righteousness Is Ugly

Comments 1 comment

Ecclesiastes advises us not to be too righteous (Ecc.7:16). What do you make out of that? Righteousness is a good thing, isn’t it? Of course, it is. Righteousness by God’s grace is the best thing ever. But this verse doesn’t talk about that kind of righteousness but unhealthy kind. Yes, there is such a thing. Self-righteousness is ugly. Be not [morbidly exacting and externally] righteous overmuch, neither strive to make yourself [pretentiously appear] overwise—why should you [get puffed up and] destroy yourself [with presumptuous…

Read More Read More

Based on Faith

Based on Faith

Comments 6 comments

Too often I meet Christians who have not embraced fully the freedom Christ offers to us. Lovely Christian people who are paralyzed by fear of possibly doing something that would keep them away from heaven. Like God’s grace would not be powerful enough to cover them if they are not perfect Christians. Why have they not been told it’s not about their religiosity? It’s about the power of God. We can’t save ourselves no matter how hard we try. Thank…

Read More Read More

Leaving Self-Righteousness (at the Foot of the Cross)

Leaving Self-Righteousness (at the Foot of the Cross)

Comments 9 comments

Last week I started blogging through Mary DeMuth‘s and Frank Viola‘s brand new book The Day I Met Jesus: The reavealing diaries of five women in the gospels. The woman of the second diary is found in Luke 7:36-50. I’ve always been in awe of the woman who wet the feet of Jesus with her tears and wiped them with her hair and soothed his feet with perfume. Would I dare? Do I love Jesus as much as she did?…

Read More Read More

Be Generous Like God

Be Generous Like God

Comments 2 comments

We are told to be generous, right? How do you feel about it? How would you feel if someone told you to not to try to be more generous than God? I was puzzled for sure. Especially when it was Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – August 20, 1153). Read it yourself! What could it mean? “The man who is wise, therefore, will see his life as more like a reservoir than a canal. The canal simultaneously pours out what it…

Read More Read More

Do Not Be Too Righteous???

Do Not Be Too Righteous???

Comments 4 comments

The Bible is the Living Word of God and it does surprise us time and time again. Sometimes I wonder who has added a story there because I have missed it before. But the Word of God speaks to us when we are ready to listen. We pass things that puzzle us or are somehow irrelevant to us and later on we cherish exactly those verses like new gifts. The key into reading the Bible is prayer. We need to…

Read More Read More

RSS
Follow by Email
Facebook
Twitter