For All Have Sinned

"Because all have sinned and all fall short of the glory of God." - Romans 3:23

When I think about this verse, I think about Jesus sitting on the ground, playing in the dirt, while telling the crowd, "He who is without sin may cast the first stone." Although it's not mentioned in the bible, historians say that He was actually writing down the sins of some of the people for them to see. The point is that some of us start to feel really righteous about how "holy" we are and this is the opposite of righteousness. In fact, the holier you become, the more humble you become. No one has the right to put anyone down because of their sins. As Saint Paul says here, ALL have sinned and ALL fall short of the glory of God. No one can say they are blameless and if they do, they only seek their own glory. The truth is that we are all very sinful and this is something we have to admit to ourselves. Just as Jesus wrote down the individual sins of the men that wanted to stone the adulterous woman, so God writes our sins in our hearts so that we should never feel boastful or righteous but every day seek to be humble and atone for our sins.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, forgive me for the times I looked not upon my own sins but those of others. In doing this, I know I was not humble and instead acted like a judge. I recognize that I am a sinner and need Your light to guide me to paths of righteousness. In Your Name we pray, amen.