Monday Musings on Sunday’s Sermon

Over the past few years, Iʼve noticed something very troubling about myself.  I can be extremely 

critical of people (almost always fellow Christians) whose weaknesses are in the areas of my 

strengths, yet extremely patient with those whose weaknesses are similar to my own.  

Chrisʼ sermon yesterday helped me to understand that my problem is much worse than I think.  I 

want to believe that I am generally a very patient person, and that this patience is only briefly 

disturbed by a few people, but thatʼs not really the case. 

My “patience” with the people who share my faults may not be patience at all.  Do you know 

what I think Iʼm doing at those moments when I seem most patient?  I think it might be a kind of 

avoidance.  You see, if I can avoid applying Godʼs righteous standards to those who share my 

faults, then I can avoid applying them to myself as well.  My “patience” has nothing to do with 

them at all.  It has even less to do with Christ.  Itʼs centered on my reflex-like desire to “establish 

[my] own righteousness” (Romans 10:3). 

Chris, thank you for helping me to see that, in so many ways, I still seek to “establish my own 

righteousness,” and that, in so doing, I fail to “submit to Godʼs righteousness” (Romans 10:3), 

which he has given to me in Jesus Christ.  It feels good to take that plank of self-righteousness 

(Matthew 7:5) out of my eye for a moment.  

Raymond

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