YOUR GOODNESS STEMS FROM CHRIST
By Bishop Mike Okonkwo
Saturday 17th September 2022
“Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Matthew 19:16-17 NKJV)
God is a good God. He wants us blessed. That is His plan. That is His purpose. But the challenge is that believers sometimes trust so much in themselves. The Pharisees trusted in the things they had done. Not in the Lord. The nine lepers trusted in their pedigree. They were children of Abraham and so they were entitled to be blessed. They were entitled to be healed. That is the challenge believers are facing today.
Some people want to come to God based on their own goodness. And Jesus said no, there is no one good. My friend you are not good, your goodness stems from Christ. We can boast today because of Christ. In Him, we live and move and have our being. It is His righteousness we are carrying, not ours. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 64:6 that our righteousness is like a filthy rag in the sight of God. Your goodness is not good enough.
Jesus said no one is good except God. So, even what you do is not good enough unless you put it in the hands of the Master. So, stop boasting in yourself. “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;” (1Corinthians 1:26-27 NKJV).
When you go through the scriptures, you will discover that there was no one used by God that was qualified. God delights in looking for the unqualified and then He qualifies the person. No one is good enough. Our goodness comes from Christ.
Further Reading: Matthew 19:16-30
Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Proverbs 27-29; Evening- 2 Corinthians 10