I'm A Work In Progress...

Selfishness. It is such an ugly word. It is a word that is easy for us to say of someone else, but a word that we don't want said of us.

Not many people would easily admit that they are a selfish person. They might admit they have selfish moments, but it's too hard to think those selfish moments do indeed make them a selfish person.

If I'm honest, the they is really me. I am a selfish person. Lately God has been dealing with me on this. He has flat out let me know that I'm selfish. Ouch!!

Romans 3:23 tells us that all have fallen short of the glory of God. Everyone has sinned.

Though this verse doesn't directly say it, it is stating that we fall short all the time. We haven't fallen short once or twice. We fall short every moment of our lives. I know I do. I wasn't selfish one time. I'm selfish over and over and over.

There is a particular area of my life that I have felt especially selfish in lately. It is that area that I feel God is really telling me to work on. It is my marriage.

Lately I have neglected my husband. I have been focused on me and what I should get out of this marriage. I want to go where I want when I want. I want my way all the time.

Can you say DANGER?!?!

Everyone has heard of the Proverbs 31 wife. That is definitely something I aspire to be, but I also want to be a Proverbs 12:4 wife.

"A worthy wife is her husband's joy and crown; a shameful wife saps his strength"

Of course, I want to be the first part of that verse!

Her husband's joy!! That is huge! I want to bring comfort and joy to my husband. I don't want being with me to ever be work for him.

All of this leads to the fact that I'm a sinner. From my head down to my toes, I'm a sinner.

I am doomed to die.

Romans 6:23 says "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"

AMEN!!

Something else that I feel God has been repetitively showing me is that the gospel, that is the work of Jesus Christ, is not just for the unbeliever. They definitely need to hear the gospel and we as believers have a job to share the gospel with them. But the gospel is for us too!!

In a Bible study I'm doing called Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges, he writes, "The gospel is only for sinners."

Only for sinners. We just said we are all sinners. We ALL fall short.

Bridges goes on to say, "Even on what seems like our very best days, we still need to preach the gospel to ourselves. The truth is, there is never a day in our lives when we are so 'good' we don't need the gospel."

Sure there are days when I would consider myself less selfish than other days. But there is never a day I would consider myself selfless.

I praise God that there is good news.

"Brothers, listen! In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is freed from all guilt and declared right with God - something the Jewish law could never do." Acts 13:38-39

"As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12

We are forgiven! We don't deserve it. We don't even come close to deserving it. But God is gracious and merciful and forgives us anyway.

That is the gospel that even we believers need to hear on a daily basis. Probably on a minute by minute basis. I know I need it as often as I can get it.