Scripture to Read: Matthew 7:4
Self-righteousness is a sin that is birthed out of pride and arrogance. A self-righteous person is blind to their own sins and wrongly judges others. God’s Word asks, in Proverbs 20:9, “Who can say, ‘I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin?’” The obvious answer is, “No one!” Again, God’s Word says in 1 John 1:8, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.” So, Jesus asks this in Matthew 7:4, “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye, ’and behold, the log is in your own eye?” Jesus wants us to know that we have no right to point out someone else’s sins when we have not rightly dealt with our sins. Again, God’s Word says in Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” When we are blind to our sins we think we’re on the right path, but God tells us we’re on the path that leads to death. Sin always results in death (Romans 6:23, James 1:15), so any course other than the path God has for us to walk each day is going to lead us to death. When we are in constant fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ and bathing our minds and hearts with His Word, then we’ll be a usable tool in His hands to come alongside and invest well in each other.
Challenge & Application
· How does self-righteousness get in the way of being a usable tool for God?
· What must we do each day to guard against self-righteousness?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!