self-righteous

You’ve encountered them. You might possibly even work with one. And there is the regrettable chance you live with one. “Who?” you ask. The person who is ALWAYS right in their own eyes. The self-righteous ones. The perfect among mankind.

“Self-righteousness has killed more people than smoking.” John McCarthy

Of course we, the realistic people of earth, know there is no such thing as a perfect person, but don’t you dare tell them they aren’t perfect. They will argue that fact. If you have encountered such a monster then you know how frustrating it can be to do life with them, or to have any kind of interaction with them at all.

If finding fault generated wealth then they would be among the richest people on earth. “Well, if you hadn’t of …” so quickly and easily comes out of their mouths. What shocks me is how deceived they are. It’s like they are allergic to truth. They defend the smallest of actions.

Job, from the Bible, had this issue I believe:

“We’ve all heard Job say, ‘I’m in the right,
    but God won’t give me a fair trial.
When I defend myself, I’m called a liar to my face.
    I’ve done nothing wrong, and I get punished anyway.’
Have you ever heard anything to beat this?
    Does nothing faze this man Job? Job 34:5-7 (MSG)

The burning question on my mind is this, “Will they dare try to defend themselves when they stand before Almighty God and give an account as to how they lived their life?” Will they try to blame God? Of course God is perfect, as his son Jesus is, and has done nothing wrong. I’ve been talking to a friend lately about this, and I have told them, “It’s okay to be wrong!” In fact, it’s admirable, and respectful when one can sincerely say, “I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

The Bible actually says, “The truth will set you free.” (John 8:31) Of course knowing Truth, or Jesus will set you free. Free from your sins and free from eternal damnation. But knowing, owning up to, and admitting the truth is living free. If you find yourself always defending your actions then stop it! Try being wrong once in a while. You might like how it feels.

One thing that gets me upset faster than most is encountering someone with a self-righteous attitude. You’ve met them too I’m sure somewhere in life. It doesn’t take long to discover them. As soon as they tell you their life story, or if they hit your car and jump out and say it was your fault even though it wasn’t.

Well, I had another run in this past week with such a person. I have known them for a few months now and have heard how their current life issues are a result of everyone else. Sure, other’s actions do affect us, I get that, but at the same time we have to take responsibility for our part, and for our decisions.

After the person blamed me for their current displeasure I will be honest and say, I got mad! Very mad, and I made enough noise to let them know of my displeasure. I’m trying to learn how to respond to everyone and in every situation with one or more of the fruit of the Spirit, but I failed that day. I didn’t say a word, but they knew I didn’t like it. I decided the best thing to do was to remove myself from their presence. Being honest, I was concerned I would say something that they would use against me in the future.

But the whole time I was stewing I kept thinking this:

“When you stand before God, are you going to try to blame someone else for not accepting Jesus?”

These self-righteous individuals may think they are getting by with it here on earth, but in heaven I’m confident it will be a different situation. I’ve often wondered if their attitude makes them feel better about themselves. I mean what’s so bad about being wrong? Apologize and then move on. We are human after all, and in heaven, if you have accepted Jesus Christ then your wrong doing have been forgiven.

I feel sorry for people like the one I encountered this past week. They are believing lies the devil puts in their mind, and those lies may, someday, determine where they spend eternity. That’s a long time to regret your decisions! It’s possible that blaming others most of your life will make it difficult to identify as someone who does this, but perhaps there is a sliver of truth in you somewhere.

If you consider yourself self-righteous then I pray you will learn to be bold and brave and stop believing the lies, and face the reality of the truth and stop hurting others, but also stop hurting yourself.

brady, mark a.

Words to inspire you

“Well!”

“Self-righteousness has killed more people than smoking.” John McCarthy

It’s Not My Fault

“When you stand before God, are you going to try to blame someone else for not accepting Jesus?”

“Self-righteousness has killed more people than smoking.” John McCarthy

“We’ve all heard Job say, ‘I’m in the right, but God won’t give me a fair trial.When I defend myself, I’m called a liar to my face. I’ve done nothing wrong, and I get punished anyway.’Have you ever heard anything to beat this? Does nothing faze this man Job? Job 34:5-7 (MSG)

“When you stand before God, are you going to try to blame someone else for not accepting Jesus?”

“We’ve all heard Job say, ‘I’m in the right,
but God won’t give me a fair trial.
When I defend myself, I’m called a liar to my face.
I’ve done nothing wrong, and I get punished anyway.’
Have you ever heard anything to beat this?
Does nothing faze this man Job? Job 34:5-7 (MSG)