Kingsley Nwaekwe

It comes from the grace and mercy that Jesus gives us.

The Pharisees' pride blocked him from seeing his need for mercy.

He was righteous in his own eyes.

However, the tax collector was justified because he recognized his need for the mercy of God.

He was righteous because God made him righteous through his confession.

The difference between self-righteousness and righteousness really comes down to motive.

The self-righteous, such as the Pharisees and Sadducees, do good things in order to be seen by others.

There's always an agenda.

Those who are self-righteous want to look good in the public eye.

Even deeper than that, they often think that the good things they do earn favor with God.

We often see this today in the prosperity movement.

Many in this movement think that because they have followed the rules of God, they have earned the favor of God for protection from the sickness and brokenness of the world.

While the action is good, the motive is off.

However, those who are truly righteous do good out of the love for God.

They have a true purity, holiness, and righteousness.

They know there's nothing they can ever do to earn the love of God.

They have sin rooted deep in their heart.

However, they confess that to God and know that God has made a way to take that sin away through Jesus Christ.

Then due to that love, they follow the commands of God, not so they can be seen by others, but because God's grace and mercy runs deep for them.

Sometimes it's good for us to reflect and examine our hearts.