Day 257, Year 1

The Righteousness Required to Enter God’s Kingdom

Jesus said, “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20 NASB)

Jesus’ words above respond to the aforementioned scribes and Pharisees, etc., who could speak God’s words but could not act accordingly, resulting in their disqualification from entering the kingdom of heaven. Their problem began with their unwillingness to honestly confess their failures and their inability to practice God’s Word. Thus, those who refuse to face their failures in faith might lose their salvation. However, if we rely on the Lord’s strength to courageously and honestly confront our failures and shortcomings, right down to the root of our problems, then we can walk the successful way to do God’s commands.

When people listen to and seriously consider God’s Word, there are often only two ways to go. First, they put what they have listened to into practice. Or, second, they talk about what they have heard, but do not do it. The former requires a lot of prayer, effort, and attempt on the path to success in faith. The latter only needs to recount what they have heard repeatedly. Jesus points out that the condition for entering the kingdom of heaven is to meet the righteousness He demands by practicing His words. After we decide to obey God’s words, we always find that there is a vast gap between His words and us, as sinners. In the past, many people have testified that there is no way to put God’s words into practice solely through human effort. This is because when we can obey His words with our own strength, we can boast of our might and even become proud. Jesus’ plan for us is that believers must rely on His strength to truly practice His Word. In this way, we have no excuse to boast or be proud when we succeed. In other words, we need to develop a humble heart and mind that relies on God as we practice His Word.

In my experience, there is a substantial gap between what I know and what I can do. So, I knelt before God and prayed for His strength and a way out. I read the Bible diligently, hoping to find even a hint from the examples in the Bible. This led me to realize that, like Peter in the Gospels, I often overestimated my ability to practice God’s Word. It is believed that after many failures, Peter could only seek the Lord’s strength and wisdom so that he could know how to obey His Word. And so do I. Eventually, I discovered that God’s Word implicitly reveals His heavenly realm. Those who successfully obey God’s Word are often able to understand and participate in His work in that realm, and thus have their spirits elevated in Him.

Reflection questions:

1) Have you ever made a resolution to obey God’s Word? If not, please express your will to the Lord in prayer!

2) Do you agree that there is no way for believers to obey God’s commandments solely by relying on our abilities? Why?