July 24

Does your righteousness belong to you? When going through troubled waters, do you cry out to God and proclaim your innocence. At one time or another, we have all said to him, “Why aren’t you helping me? I haven’t done anything wrong!”. In our misery, we tend to rebuke God for allowing us to fail and endure hardships; we can’t help it; we are human. But that’s just it; our humanity is anything but innocent! We are flesh, and it’s our nature to sin, so if you think you don’t sin, you are wrong, and your self-righteousness becomes a sin! I got a spanking when reading Job this morning. He was refuting his friends and proclaiming his righteousness, and I felt him, and understood his feelings, because I’ve been there, and have spoken very similar words. In all of his rebuttal, he did not give God credit for his innocence; it was all about him and his righteousness. In this, Job was wrong. He was wrong to blame God; he was wrong to declare his innocence. God is Almighty, and if we don’t fear him, there is no wisdom within us. Don’t kid yourself; we are only righteous because of Jesus; make sure you get this right. 

You say, ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me. Behold, he finds occasions against me, he counts me as his enemy, he puts my feet in the stocks and watches all my paths.’ “Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you, for God is greater than man. Job 33:9-12

And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’” Job 28:28