August 1

There is a mindset that balks at correction. Some people possess it to a great degree, but we all have it. It’s the aspect of our character that rises up in indignation when we are challenged. Our conviction is essentially that we’ve thought it through and the conclusion we’ve reached is irrefutable.

This position is most pronounced in us when it involves matters of honor and integrity. We are sure we would not do a shabby thing and resent the suggestion that an action or a word of ours might be questionable. The reality is, the more steadfast we are in this conviction about ourselves, about our motivation, the more in need we are of the reality check we deny.

How do we get to the place where we honestly see ourselves as righteous, as above reproach when the Word itself insists that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”? (Romans 3:23) It has a lot to do with comparing ourselves among ourselves, which the Word tells us “is not wise.” (II Corinthians 10:12) When we look at other people, we can appear quite good by comparison. When we look at Jesus, we all appear wanting.

It behooves us to accept God’s assessment of our situation, to recognize as Hebrews 12:11 states, “For the time being no discipline brings joy but seems grievous, yet afterward it yields the fruit of true righteousness to those who have received it…” If our true desire is to be righteous in the eyes of the Lord rather than merely right in our own eyes, we will receive His correction and conform to His will, which is “pure and righteous altogether”(Psalm 19:9).