November 28

Guilty and Proud of It

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. (James 2:10).

Scripture: James 2:8-13

Song: “At Calvary”

After delivering his sermon, the minister of a small church stood at the doorway of the sanctuary greeting congregants. One gentleman was especially excited to share his experience of the previous week as he grasped the minister’s hand. With a broad smile he declared, “I’ve kept every single commandment this week!” Without missing a beat, the minister replied, “Why, that must fill you with great pride.” “It does, it does!” was the unwitting response.

While being prideful isn’t specifically named in the Ten Commandments, there are plenty of other Scriptures that caution us to be humble rather than proud, such as Proverbs 3:34 that James quotes as “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (James 4:6). Being proud about supposedly keeping the whole law would be the one small part that still causes us to be guilty of breaking it in its entirety.

It is good to remember that none of us are able to keep the whole law. We are all dependent on the “law of liberty” . . . God’s wonderful and amazing mercy and grace.

Heavenly Father, on my own I can never be holy as You are holy. Thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son to save me from the condemnation of the law. I am thankful for my freedom through Christ my Savior. In His name, amen.