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Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. --Romans 5:20-21 It might come as a shock to you, but God delights in forgiving us on our sins… even when we come to Him with the same sin over and over again! That’s right, because we worship a God who is full of mercy and full of pardon. In fact, today’s verses tell us that where sin increases, grace abounds all the more. It really is an amazing day when you realize… when you finally embrace the truth… that God delights in forgiving you of your sin. As humans, offering forgiveness isn’t a natural act. In most cases, it’s extremely difficult to do. And as a result, I think many Christians assume that God begrudgingly offers forgiveness when we ask for it. But this simply isn’t true! When we confess our sins with honesty and sincerity and brokenness, the Scripture tells us that God is eager to forgive us. He loves to forgive you… even if you’re coming to Him with the same sin for the 100th time in a row. There are no limits to His love! I love the song by the Christian group Selah that says, “Before the throne of God above I have a strong and perfect plea. A great high Priest whose name is love, who ever lives and pleads for me. My name is graven on His hands, my name is written on His heart. I know that while in heaven He stands, no tongue can bid me thence depart… no tongue can bid me thence depart.” Christian, as a child of God, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses you from all your sins! You can never, ever, exhaust the grace of God. So don’t let Satan tempt you into believing that God wants nothing to do with you when you sin. Remember the promise from Hebrews 4:16, which tells us, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” GOD’S GRACE IS THE GIFT YOU NEED

Killing Self-Righteousness

Monday, September 30, 2019

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”

Philippians 3:7–9

There is a great temptation facing Christians who have been saved and serve God faithfully for many years to begin to focus on themselves rather than on God. It is easy to begin to rely on our own strength to win the battles we face. The victories of the past, however, were not won in our power, and if we allow ourselves to take credit for them, glorifying our own righteousness rather than God’s, we are on the path to failure and defeat. If we are found with only our own righteousness, we are doomed.

The very best that we can accomplish falls far short of God’s standard of perfection. A. J. Gordon wrote, “There is nothing of ours, soul, body, or spirit, that is without blemish. And when we understand that our very tears need themselves to be washed in the blood of the Redeemer, and our very penitence to be sanctified in his exceeding sorrow, we shall gladly turn wholly to the perfect offering.”

The devil whispers in our ear that we can do it on our own, relying on our strength and goodness. Like Samson after his hair was cut, we go out expecting victory because of what “we” have done in the past without regard to God’s role, only to be utterly defeated. Victories of the past do not provide protection in future attacks, and if we learn to lean on our own goodness, victory will quickly turn to defeat.

Today's Growth Principle: 

Understanding how far God’s righteousness is above ours protects us from the deadly sin of pride.