Proverbs 20 greeted me this morning as I had my morning devotional and a cup of coffee. Solomon’s wise sayings in Proverbs 20 teach about:
- how drinking too much wine isn’t wise,
- respecting authority,
- the need to work and not be lazy,
- walking in integrity,
- respecting parents,
- honesty in business practices,
- the value of a good reputation,
- and much more, etc.
The more I read the more I thought to myself, “I don’t touch alcoholic beverages. I respect authority. Heck, if I don’t like or respect the person in an office or position I at least esteem the office/position they hold. I usually don’t speak bad things about them.”
Then I read the following proverb and was convicted: “Who can say, ‘I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin?’” (Proverbs 20:9)
As soon as I read this verse, the Lord chastened me by bringing up recent sins to mind. He reminded me of the sin of pride. I battle pride daily … pride of education, pride of where I live, pride of my intellectual capabilities (see, I am prideful just in listing them!) …
He reminded me I am only a sinner saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. He reminded me of my secret sins that I sometimes forget He knows. He stabbed my heart reminding (no, convicting me) of my need I need to confess and repent. “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9.
Instead of just reading verses this morning and patting myself on the back because of how good I am, I realized how I’m not good enough. None of us is good enough to deserve God’s grace. I’m realizing more and more each day that authentic Christianity isn’ t about being a good person. To me, it’s about realizing my need for Christ, being thankful for what He did for me by dying for my sins, and having a deep relationship with him by spending time with him and pursuing him.
How are you doing today? When you read Proverbs 20:9 above, what sin does the Lord bring to your mind? Spend time confessing those sins to the Lord, and be thankful for his grace when we weren’t good enough to deserve it. And like the rain falling in north Texas this morning, God’s forgiveness can wash away the confessed sin from your life.
This is an original devotion written by Jimmie A. Kepler on March 20, 2012.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License by Jimmie Kepler.
