The true goodness

 

	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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