Could there be anything wrong with doing what you think is right?
The book of Judges ends with an interesting statement: "…every man did that which was right in his own eyes." It might be from way back in the Old Testament but I still hear it a lot in our day.
A man at Starbucks named Alberto said he believes he is one of the "good guys" that will be welcomed into heaven one day. Why? "Well I do make mistakes, but God knows my heart and He knows I try to do what I think is right" he told me.
What could be wrong with trying to do what we think is right? The problem is that all too often what we think is right is very different from what God thinks is right.
Alberto thinks he is one of the "good guys" because he is judging himself by his own standard. And when it comes to setting standards, none of us comes close to the standard of holiness God requires.
We're good at making excuses, having good intentions, and calling our sins "mistakes". But we are only fooling ourselves with a false sense of security when we replace God's standards with our own.
Jesus said "For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." Why would people take a road that leads to destruction? Because they would rather take the route that looks right in their own eyes than look at God's word, His road map for salvation.
There was a reason the Israelite's did what seemed right to them - the first half of the verse reads "In those days there was no king in Israel…" People who have no king do what they want.
When God is not the king of our lives we do what we want rather than carefully consult His word and commandments. If we do, we will soon find that God's standard is beyond our reach. In fact, we've already broken it. We find out our need to turn from our sin in repentance, which makes us truly aware of our sin and our need for a Savior.
We are not the "good guys" we think we are. We need to get off that highway, because it only leads to destruction. We need to get on the King's road, the narrow road of repentance and faith that leads to eternal life.
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Thank you to my guest contributor - Jeff Reiman. Jeff has a YouTube channel that can be found here.
My heart examined by God's own eyes,
He sees my soul and sees my lies,
He knows that I'm in need of Him
To pardon me of all my sin.
So though it seems a way that's right,
I know that God has shown a light,
To show me that my path is wrong
And teach my soul a brand new song
A hymn of love unto my King,
My life, my path to Him I bring
The narrow road that leads to Thee
My path, my life I offer Thee.
-- Carol Plafcan
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