Raise Your Hand
Sitting at the dinner table my grandson, Will said, “Raise your hand if you are good” and immediately six hands shot up. Thinking quickly, I determined that this might be a teachable moment, so I hastily put mine down and explained that my first reaction had been wrong.
Elaborating further in order to clarify to my grandson that I am not good…my actions are sometimes wrong, my thoughts are not always pure, my words are not always kind, my heart motives can be contaminated because I am a sinner. The only reason that I have anything good in my life is because of Jesus. I informed my grandson that I am a sinner saved by the grace of God. I continued telling him that I make mistakes, but that I try to make good choices because I represent Jesus to the world. By the time I had finished my confession, all of the hands around the table were down.
The Bible tells us that “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” but it also tells us that we don’t have to stay that way because God has provided a way for us to escape the sinful life through Jesus. In my opinion we make a big mistake when we try to make children think that they are perfect. When we build up their self esteem and confidence in themselves they don’t feel a need for a Savior because they are so “good.”
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t want our children walking around with their heads hung down because they feel so bad about themselves, but I do want them to know that true confidence is not in self, but in God who alone is perfect. It is Jesus who gives us our righteousness and our cleansed life. It is only through Him that we can be "good."
Now… raise your hand if you belong to Jesus.
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
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