LORD my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me, 2 or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me. 3 O LORD my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands--4 if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me or without cause have robbed my foe--5 then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust. Selah

We read so much in the New Testament about the sin of self-righteousness. Jesus often condemned the Pharisees for this. This is described in Luke 18:9. “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:” Notice the problem is not that they were confident of their own righteousness but rather how they viewed others. It may be that one looks to God and decides that God owes him something because of his righteousness or it may be that he just feels sorry for everybody else because they have not attained his level of righteousness. In either case, that person’s own ability to do what is right becomes the standard of right and wrong. This then leads to unrighteous judging of others and a lack of humility toward God.

But does all this mean it is wrong to be convinced that one understands the truth in an area and further believes that they are actually practicing it? The Psalmist declares his innocence in this Psalm and invites God to punish him if he is wrong. Yet, even a casual reading of the other Psalms and we quickly realize that the Psalmist is filled with humility and is not in any way self-righteous. He knows he is dependant on God for all things.
When we study God’s word we form convictions. The more we study the more we tune these convictions and the stronger they become. While it is possible that we are wrong in them, they are ours and guide us in our lives. The more we are true to them the more we see ourselves moving closer to God. This is our faith and we are living it. This is what God expects of each of us. However, we must always remember that our understanding is not the standard. God’s revealed word is the standard. While we must be true to our convictions, we must never forget that we can still be wrong in them and thus never look with contempt toward anyone who differs or does not live up to what we believe to be true. God is the judge and we must answer to him.

O God, help me to ever be humble before you and toward others around me. Help me to never look to my own righteousness as earning anything from you. At the same time help me to find assurance in my convictions and to live them but to glory only in your forgiveness in Jesus. In his name I pray.

May God bless each of us as we live for him today.