Yesterday, I read Matthew 23. Whoa, that was the biggest collection of woe’s I have ever read! I know this is the season where we sing of the infant Jesus “so tender and mild”, but the grown up Jesus had some stinging words towards the self-righteous.

I think it is easy to read Matthew 23 and think, “I am glad I am not a Pharisee!”. But when I really take the time to examine myself, I know that in my heart I am a lot more like the Pharisees Jesus was addressing than I want to admit.

I know that I suffer from the sin of self-righteousness. There are more times than I care to admit that I find myself judging someone else for their sins. I think to myself, “Well, I have done this or that, BUT I haven’t done anything like they have done!” Woe to me!

Do I hold myself to a high ethic in all situations? Do I live a moral life in every way? Do I live my life with such integrity that I could stand before God in judgement and say that I am confident that I have it all together? No, I don’t. As much as I want to live up to a high standard, I have found that like Jesus says three chapters later in Matthew 26, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

This is another reason why Christmas is such an important season for me. I have stumbled so many times during the year that every Christmas season, I am still in wonder that God sent His Son to this earth in the form of a man. As Henry and Richard Blackaby said, “God’s plan of salvation has existed since time began. Only He–in His wisdom, love, power, and perfection–could have devised such a deeply compelling yet incredibly costly plan. Only a God as infinitely loving as our God would be willing to let His sinless Son serve as the perfect and acceptable sacrifice for (my) sin.” I am so unworthy, but by His grace I am given a chance at redemption because Jesus was born on Christmas Day! God had already planned for our redemption before we were even born!

Take some time this week to truly search your heart before the Lord. Let the meaning of the season come into your heart as you search yourself and find that you are still in need of a Savior! Because the Good News is–He has come, and He will come again!

More to come…
Jeremy