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The true goodness

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Scripture:   Galatians 5:16-25
 

Lord,  you know that I have never claimed to be a saint,  but I do think of myself as a good Christian.   I don't feel like the desperate sinner some of the hymns we sing make me out to be.

  • I don't steal or kill or commit adultery or tell lies.
  • My family,  my friends and neighbours think of me as trustworthy and kind.
     

Is that enough?

Perhaps sin isn't just doing wrong;  maybe I sin simply by falling short of what I ought to be.

  • Am I sometimes impatient and ungracious?
  • Do I sometimes find it hard to forgive?
  • Do I judge and criticise other people instead of trying to understand them?
  • Do I sometimes close my eyes and block my ears against my neighbour's needs because I can't be bothered?
  • Hve I settled for the mediocre when you are calling me to something better?
     
Id so,  Lord,  I am a sinner who constantly needs to be forgiven.

My friends and acquaintances know that I go to church,  but I'm not sure that they sense that I have been with Jesus.   So,  Lord,  help me to think less about my explicit sins,  and more about the life of love,  courage and service to which I am called.

As I tackle each day's routine and face its demands and emergencies,  will you be my inner presence,  a living Spirit  -  thinking your thoughts through mine,  helping me see the world through your eyes,  showing me the neighbour I must serve.   Lift me above conventional decency and goodness,  and allow others sometimes to glimpse the Christ through me.

Amen.

©  Selwyn Dawson

 
 

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