Yes, you read it right…I am a legalist…the most self-righteous of the self-righteous!
My garage needs to be cleaned out and reorganized, but as I drive by the guy’s house down the street
and see his garage, well my, my…my garage does not look as bad as his garage, so I think to myself, “I will wait a while to take care of that, because mine is not as bad as his.”
My yard needs to be mowed, but going out of my subdivision the other day, I saw a home whose yard needed to be mowed, and it was much worse than mine. So, I thought “Mine is not that bad, I will wait a couple more days.”
My inspection sticker is expired on my truck and it needs to be renewed. But, while I was in the grocery store parking lot the other day, I looked (with disbelief!) and there was someone there whose inspection sticker was due last November…what never!
My truck needs to be washed…but as I sat at the red light the other day, I noticed the lady next to me and her car needed it much worse than mine did, so for now, mine doesn’t seem so dirty after all. You see, I am a legalist, and you are too. We all think like this. It’s our nature to think that our stuff is not as bad as “that” guys. I am amazed of how easily we stand in judgment of others, knowing nothing of their story, their pain, their brokenness or any of their circumstances and how easy WE forget how much elasticity God has granted us through His Grace!
I am horrified at the thoughts of my legalistic conclusions; judgments that I have drawn about people by site and by thought. If we never realize that as we judge people, no matter how wrong they may be, we tighten around us the perimeters of God’s Mercy for our own lives. It’s a horrific experience to see leaders look down their “regal” noses to those whom they’ve deemed lost or back-slidden, when they themselves are “law-breakers” in the eyes of a God.
It is true, we who are called “Christian” are often the cream of the legalist crop. We too easily forget where Jesus brought us from, what gutters of wretched, sin-filled living God found us in. We have forgotten about the brokenness, dysfunction, and stains of sin which corrupted us… when we first encountered the Love of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Most of all, we forgotten this: my yard still needs mowing, my garage still needs cleaning, my sticker still needs renewing and my truck still needs washing. Every moment, of every day, of every week, I am in need of overwhelming mercy from a mighty Gracious God!
So today as I look at others, I choose to look at myself first. I choose to see my need of a pardon first. I choose to view my need of mercy first. I stare at my need of Grace first and then, I choose to humble myself before the gaze of a Holy God and ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness for being filled with pride and not thanksgiving! I want to be thankful that He found me, and when He found me, He didn’t ask me to mow my lawn first – He just simply loved me and saved me in spite of the weeds in my life!
