July 9 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Self-righteous people have no use for the gospel of peace. They have no fear of God because they have no knowledge of themselves. Smug people cannot be afraid of God—simply because they are self-satisfied.

We don't have to fear for the salvation of those who are still afraid of God. For them there is hope. But tremble for those who cannot even be afraid anymore. They are self-righteous.

May God spare us the peace of the self-righteous!

As soon as people know they are sinners, they lose peace. They are dissatisfied and become afraid of God. But for people who fear, there is hope. At least they have an inkling of their unworthiness, even if they have not yet learned the worth of Christ.

It is true that many people fall into the rut of self-accusation. This can be deadly. In some Christian circles, self-deprecation is considered piety. It is learned and cultivated and endlessly prolonged. But it is not real piety. Rather, it is a subtle way of having other people think or say we aren't really as bad as we ourselves believe.

God does not want us to continue in self-accusation. He wants us to put our faith in Jesus Christ. If we trust that what Jesus has done is sufficient also for us, we have peace with God. And peace is a relationship of favor and friendship.

When we trust in Christ, our fears disappear. We are still "no good" in ourselves. But Christ is good. By faith in Christ, peace is established between God and us. The more I look at Christ, the better I can live with myself. If God has accepted me, I may also accept myself in Christ.

First I have peace with him. Then I get peace within.

Peace is never smugness, for it is based not on self-satisfaction but on the satisfaction of Christ.

REFLECTIONS

Do you have peace with God? With yourself? How do you know?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.