It is part of human nature to want to perform for God, for ourselves, and for other people. No one has to teach us how to perform. We seem to be natural actors. In today’s devotional, Dr. Michael Youssef examines how people seek to prove themselves.
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[00:00:00] You are listening to My Devotional, the daily devotional from Dr. Michael Youssef and Leading
[00:00:06] the Way. Performing for God by Dr. Michael Youssef
[00:00:13] It is part of human nature to want to perform for God, for ourselves, and for other people. No one has
[00:00:19] to teach us how to perform. We seem to be natural actors. Consider the following kinds of people and
[00:00:27] see if you can find yourself reflected in at least one of them. The Do-Gooder
[00:00:33] Some people are convinced that if they do enough good deeds, if they can say enough kind words,
[00:00:39] or if they develop good character qualities, then they will somehow earn the right to get into heaven.
[00:00:45] However, the Word of God reminds us that apart from Christ, all of us have become like the one who is
[00:00:52] unclean and all of our righteous acts are like filthy rags.
[00:00:57] The Ritualist
[00:00:59] Some people accept Christ as their Savior, but later slip into the comfort of rituals and traditions
[00:01:06] in expressing their faith. For them, the Sunday morning order of service has to remain the same
[00:01:13] with little variation right down to when they stand up or sit down in the church service.
[00:01:18] Ritual becomes a means to salvation, and soon they add baptism or communion to their faith in Christ as
[00:01:27] a means of salvation. These approaches to Christianity misrepresent the true gospel, which is not about
[00:01:35] what man can do, but about what God has done in His grace because He so loved the world. Let's pray together.
[00:01:45] Father, at times we've focused more on doing good things and on the rituals of our faith
[00:01:51] than focusing on Christ, the only means of salvation. Forgive us and help us to remember that faith is a
[00:01:59] gift prompted by Your grace. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
[00:02:06] To take a deeper dive into today's devotional topic, check the show notes for links to additional resources.
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[00:02:20] My Devotional is a ministry of leading the way with Dr. Michael Yusef.
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