“I am a good person.”
Have you ever heard or made this statement?
Our culture tells us we are “good” if we do the right thing. In our daily routines we do the “good” thing. Serve our family. Serve our neighbor. Serve the community. Serve the church. And though our intentions appear good on the surface, a not “good” response can surface if our service is not received in a way that we expect it should.
This familiar Bible story recounts how “good” our intentions can appear to be. The firstborn does the proper thing that is expected of him. He presents an offering of his labor to God. What is not described is why Cain’s offering was not regarded as acceptable.
What is described is his response: “Cain was furious, and he looked despondent…” (Genesis 4:5).
A first response—anger. This anger described in the original Hebrew word is fiery anger, an outburst.
This anger was written all over his face: his face fell. We have seen this response in our toddler. Our teenager. Our self. A pouting lip. A downcast face.
This outward response reflects the inward nature of our heart beneath the veneer of “goodness.”
The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?
—Jeremiah 17:9
Who understands the true nature of our hearts? God does.
That is why He responded to Cain’s outburst and fallen face with calm words of guidance (Genesis 4:6–7). Here, in a gentle, truthful, matter-of-fact tone of voice, is the first presentation of the good news—the gospel.
We can picture God getting down on one knee as we would with our toddler, looking at him eye to eye, and saying, “I see the true nature of your heart. Don’t let the slippery nature of sin take hold of you. Sin desires to keep you captive. But my desire for you is greater. And I will make a way available for you to rule over the powerful nature of sin, not have it rule over you” (v.7).
The literal meaning of the Hebrew word translated “desire” here is “stretching out.” Sin longs to stretch out its arm and capture us. There are moments we feel the tension of sin within us, pulling us limb to limb. But God’s reach for us is greater.
He gave us the gift of Jesus, His arms stretched out limb to limb on a wooden cross.
And because of this act of love on the cross, the power of sin can no longer have a hold on us.
God looks beyond the fallen face. He understands our deceitful hearts. His desire for us is so great He gave us a gift we did not deserve (Romans 6:23). That is the good news that surpasses our hearts’ good intentions!
Leave a Reply
66 thoughts on "All People Are Sinful by Nature"
By grace alone I have been saved.
Amen! Jesus. Died. For. Me.
So relatable! Thank you for sharing this, i’m in the same boat.
Wow I needed this, struggling with a jealous heart my whole life, the constant why do they have that or why were they invited and not us, and why why why it’s an ugly cycle and it needs to stop. I need to stop stretching for others approval and start stretching for God,
Great reflection reading today. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23… as humans, we all die. So what is this death from sin? I experience it as Death of spirit, death of uplifted, death of our higher being when we chose a worldly lifestyle. What is eternal life? Expecting that uplifting nature God provides, boundless love, deep sense of peace, internal prosperity and contentment with all our needs being met.
Thankful for a God who can see our hearts and how deceitful it is but He sent His Son to hang on a cross so that the sin of my heart can be forgiven.
This was an amazing one! I like how it connects a lot to are daily lives! We can all do better.
❤️
Praying for you, Sumire, to sense Jesus’ righteousness holding you up.
Help me I will be righteous.
He looked beyond my faults and saw my needs
❤️
❤️
❤️
wow. i needed this today! God looks past our sin && He is so empathetic that He calls us away from that sin && gives us authority in His name to have a hold over it. He already made that sin dead to us so why should i be living in that? such a beautiful devotional for my day! ✞
♥️
The description of desire in regards to sin is perfect! That is exactly what it feels like, sin stretching out to capture me. It can be so easy to just give into it. But knowing that God is there to pull you out of it…just reach out to him and he rescues you.
Mercy, C Jones, those are excellent breakdowns on what Yoga really is.
I used to do it to and loved doing it. Then I learned what it truly was through the Lord and had to stop.
I love the stretching aspect of it and have found some alternatives, Pilates is a great alternative to it without any Hindu or spiritual ties. Caitlin Englebert is an ex Yoga teacher on Youtube who teaches on the dangers of practicing yoga and offers stretches you can do in it’s place. Cocolime fitness offers the same, and focuses on low impact workouts for those with fibromyalgia.
Friends, if you don’t mind, could you pray for my friend NS. She’s having a terrible time with stomach and kidney pain.
Happy Saturday ladies; have an awesome weekend.
Oof. When I read the Romans scripture, my first thought was to share it on social media because it might be helpful to other people. How prideful!! I felt the Lord speaking to my own heart to first evaluate the fruit of my actions before telling others that they need to apply these words. This is why the gospel is always edifying no matter how many times you have heard it! I’m very grateful for this morning’s study.
This comment Julian Wadsworth, you are Absolutely Correct!
Going Deeper ! This is All truth!!
Rebecca Porter.. I am sharing this ..with y’all approval! The truth is just not amplified as it should be!
I am the Leader of the Womens’ Ministry at my Church.
Would love to share on my / our Soul Quest Women to Women page. ( Jackson , Tn. )
Such a good reminder that we are fully known & loved.
Great devotional today ❤️
9 The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it? 10 I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds. Jeremiah 17:9-10
What are “fruit of his deeds?” If we turn to Galatians 5:22-23, we see these fruits.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control, against such things there is no law.
@SKY HILTON Father, in the Name of Jesus, I bind this gastric problem with Sky’s sister, Gia. Satan, you are not Gia’s god. You cannot have her. So, in the Name of Jesus, GO from her body, never to return again. Amen!
❤️
So thankful for His truth! His hand that sees all and guides us into purity and freedom if we will follow, listen, and surrender. Loving it lives in remembrance of what she has done is the only humble way!
@kimcasper amen! Together we stand. I am grateful for this community ✝️❤️
@JILLIAN GARNER-WADSWORTH: about your Yoga question, if I may share with you something the Lord has opened my eyes to see. My mom is a yoga fanatic, for health benefits, good sweat, cute outfits, zen/calmness for the mind and many other reasons, including to socialize. And I have several times warned her of the spiritual side of yoga, and failed. May God have mercy. The devil Satan disguised himself as an angel of light, he did not dress himself in black with horns and a pitchfork coming at us, but a lovely shimmering radiant “angel” (demon). Satan is cunning with multi layers of disguise, and so are His schemes. Yoga derives from Hinduism that does not worship our One True Living God (Jesus). Bible teaches us, in all you do, do it for the glory of God, give thanks to God in everything, (1 Corinthians 10:31) (Ephesians 5:20), Yoga doesn’t, it gives no glory no mention to Jesus whatsoever. Besides, yoga has its meditative and spiritual core, and the word “yoga” itself comes from the word “yug” (hindu language) with means to “unite”, so surely when doing this practice/exercise/ stretches, you unite yourself to some unknown “sources”. Yoga deep down instructs on “circle of life”, energy, and universe worship. Namaste at the end means I bow to the devine in you. RED FLAGS!! The only devine we should carry in us is the Holy Spirit indwelling in our temple/body. You see how this drifts further and further away from Bible teachings. Deuteronomy 17:2-3 says serving/worshiping other gods, either sun or moon, universe (creation) is doing evil in God’s sight, transgressing His commandments. We should worship only the Creator /God (the first commandment) and no other gods simultaneously. And learn not the ways of the heathen/pagans (Jeremiah 10:2), you shall not at all do as we are doing here today-every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes (Deuteronomy 12:8), and you can’t serve God and other gods (either or scenario here). I present before you this day life and death, choose life (God) (Joshua 24:14-21). For the Lord Your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God (Deuteronomy 4:24). He will not share His glory with worthless idols. Just a few verses to show you God’s heart and mind concerning pagan practices. If there are 100 religions out there, please know only 1 belongs to the ONE TRUE LIVING GOD , the remaining 99 belongs to Satan. And that one true religion- which I’d rather call relationship -will always always always point you to glorify the name of Jesus, and always always always make mention of His name, the Name where all power is from. Let us not be outwitted by Satan and His schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11). May God bless you and grant you wisdom, discernment and courage to find the narrow road that leads to life. Broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. Blessings to you.
Can you please pray for my sister Gia dear sisters. Her gastric sleeve surgery was messed up super badly. The doctor made her stomach too small for her to eat and she is on anti nausea pills (which are the only thing that could help her eat). Those meds have weakened her heart a little, so she is not strong enough to go through surgery to fix it (now at least). Last month she fell in a hospital bathroom and may have permanent nerve damage in her feet and arms. She told me her pain is at a 10 max
This makes me really sad. No one deserves that kind of pain. No one.
On the bright side though, Gia relies on Jesus to get her through which makes me SUPER happy!! I’m so glad she didn’t give up on her faith.
“If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin lies at the door (so close), desiring to rule over/control you. BUT YOU (your job, my job, not GOD’s) must rule over it.” This jumped out at me today. And by His grace, we can do all things including ruling over sin, through the Lord who enables us. God rejected Cain’s offering because it was not right in His eyes. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise (Psalm 51:17) (contrite: feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong; repentant). May Godly sorrow lead us to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10). May we learn to repent, again and again, and offer such repentant lowly heart as a pleasing sacrifice to God. Lord, my heart is deceitful above all things, it deceives me all the time, but you are greater than my heart, when it condemns me, You know all things. Please purify my heart and cleanse all its intentions so that my secret desires are pleasing and acceptable to You. Praise and glory to You forever. Amen.
No worries, I had to delete and reload the app to log back in. I think there might be a bug issue.
So if I keep God and scripture with the exercise of yoga it wouldn’t be offensive because I would be seeking a Union with God/Jesus. Right?
It is both wonderful and scary to be known so deeply by God. On the one hand, I love that God can see the intentions of my heart and on the other hand that is so scary. I may be able to fool the people around me, but I can’t fool God.
I’m sorry @Jillian Garner-Wadsworth, I tried to reply to your question, but it posted twice elsewhere.(?)
“According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, yoga is an East Indian Sanskrit word which means “union with god” or “to yoke.”
The yoke of yoga is different from the one Jesus refers to when He says, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30).”
According to Webster’s, YOGA IS: “a mystic and ascetic Hindu discipline for achieving union with the supreme spirit through meditation, prescribed postures, controlled breathing, etc.”
Kerry- praying for your sister Leanne. May this time on hospice be God’s graciousness to get so she can surrender fully her life to Jesus. May you and the rest of her family enjoy this lady time together on this side of heaven.
❤️
So I was not quite understanding the Scripture form Romans so I went back and started reading at Romans 6:15. That helped understand today’s Scripture reading better. But I think the passage that really helped me to understand it the best is Romans 6:19 “I speak this way, using the illustration of slaves and masters, because it is easy to understand. Before, you let yourselves be slaves of impurity and lawlessness. Now you must choose to be slaves of righteousness so that you will become holy.” By even just including this passage the rest of the Scriptures from Romans made a lot more sense.
Vina got me doing some deep thinking with her devotion today. I liked how she looked up the Hebrew meaning for several of the words in Scripture and then worked them into her devotional.
I’m finding as I grow older I’m wanting to learn all I can about the Bible, God, Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Be blessed and don’t be afraid to ask questions, sisters.
Well, Shes. I certainly deserved a whipping after reading today’s devotional. All while drinking my morning coffee and eating my favorite breakfast ( Greek yogurt, granola, banana & blueberry mashup, to be exact!) my mind was churning & ruminating on “why” so & so or such & such had not acknowledged or appreciated or shown some outward sign or response to how “good” I had been. With money. With time. With gifts. With attentiveness. I was angry because I was looking for the “return” on my emotional investment…and it hadn’t shown up in the way I wanted it. Those were my grievances. That was me grasping for recognition & approval. That wasn’t the “pure heart” Paul advises Timothy. That was self-seeking. As Ms. Mogg wrote, if we only promote & defend our “goodness”, we deceive only ourselves, and fail to see who gave the greatest gift of grace to us. Which we – me – do not deserve. And for which we – me -should ever be humble & worshipful for. Lord, I confess to pernicious self-promotion. “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; LEAD me in the EVERLASTING way”. (Psalm 139: 23-24 CSB, my caps). Selah.
Jennifer Loves Jesus- Your post spoke to my heart. The Lord is leading me deeper into intercession and warfare and your words reflect my heart so well right now! It’s so good to know we are fighting the good fight together! “The light shines in the darkness,and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5. May His light shine on all you SRT sisters!
Wow. I have so much to say about this Scripture today. I’m attempting to put it to music, this afternoon. We’ll see where that goes…
@Molly <333 I am thankful for you!! I love seeing your comments here and I am so happy you spent the time to hear my story and even keep me in prayer. That honestly means so much. Thank you!
And about social media– I am proud of you for obeying and doing the hard thing :) that's amazing God is blessing your obedience, too.
There was a time I had deleted my old Instagram account after my eye opening new age experience because I was following all these different people & didn't trust myself on it after that. It was too much to process. After a few months, what I think the Lord was really asking of me was to find balance, not totally delete myself from social media. I am 29 and I honestly want to be an example of a healthy relationship with social media to my generation, if that's possible. So I think that my goal is healthy balance :) that is something God is continually showing me in all areas of my life.
Quick question, and a little off topic: Does anyone have scripture on yoga being offensive to God?
Happy birthday LEIGH! Welcome to your 40’s! It’s such a beautiful season (I just turned 41 and am loving it even more than my 30’s). Praying for a joyful day and for news on the job! Also really enjoyed this devo today and the additional insights from HRT: “I was laboring under the delusion that I was justified by grace and sanctified by gritting my teeth and trying to become more holy. But the problem of my sin runs far too deep for that. I cannot work my way into righteousness. It seems so counterintuitive, but once I realized this truth—that my heart is the problem—I was able to turn to God in thankful desperation and repent. What’s more, I found it easier to say “no” to sin. And it wasn’t because I’d become a better person. No, when I saw the depth of my sin, I saw the beauty of the gospel more clearly. Because of Jesus Christ I am reconciled to God. I don’t have to be scared of Him anymore. Fear is no longer my motivation for repentance—now, it’s my love for Him.” Be blessed today sisters.
Amen! My thoughts exactly
Kerry I’m so sorry to hear about your sister. Prayers for you and your family. But Kerry why don’t you lead her to the prayer of salvation that she confess that Jesus is the son of God and she will be saved and spend eternity with Him. ❤️
♥️
Thank you!
Thank You, Jesus, that You’ve gifted us with Your mercy and grace!
I don’t usual post but I read these everyday. I’d like to request prayer. My sister is being placed on hospice care today. Please pray for Leanne and her family. As I read today’s devotion Leanne is one who “does right”. While she professes to know God I don’t think she has truly given the Lordship of her life to Jesus. Please pray that in these final hours she will submit to the saving Grace and receive the GIFT of eternal life.
Thank you, Vina Mogg, for your words today! “The outward response reflects the inward nature of our heart beneath the veneer of goodness.” I can start my day by reading my Bible and joining this community, interacting with my family, and leaving the house, but when other motorists mess up, my true nature surfaces! But God! He gave us Jesus. I’m thankful I can repent and receive His mercy and grace.
Hi She’s! I don’t usually post but I highly recommend watching Jackie Hill Perry’s Instagram story today, it goes with our reading & current news. It really blessed me with deeper understanding and I hope it does the same for you! God bless you all today & praise God we have hope in Jesus.
Sin is crouching at your door… what a good reminder that we need to be careful! Thank God for his patience and lovingkindness toward us.
I have been struggling so much the past few weeks wondering if I can trust myself and that my intentions are truly good. I have been worrying so much about the effect my words and actions can have on those around me (due to past trauma of spiritual abuse) and question myself constantly.
But through therapy, EMDR, and spending time with the Lord- He is showing me that it isn’t about me. I don’t have the power to do what I fear I will. What I do know is that He has called me to ministry. And He calls those who are chosen and trustworthy.
I have been struggling so much the past few weeks wondering if I can trust myself and that my intentions are truly good. I have been worrying so much about the effect my words and actions can have on those around me (due to past trauma of spiritual abuse) and question myself constantly.
I love how she describes God kneeling down when He approaches us. It’s such a comforting thought.
Reading the previous comments brought 2 things to mind:
Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a NEW HEART and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. (caps mine)
and, TAYLOR, the song, “Break Every Chain”.
LOL I literally was just telling a friend over dinner last night that “I’m a good person” as I was recounting a situation where the temptations were so strong to do something wrong that I messed up a bit. I’m so glad God’s desire for me is greater and that I am no longer a slave to sin. But of course the pull is still there, stronger at times. I’ve been feeling the urges surfacing over the last few days and weeks. Lord give me the strength to be more than a conqueror in Jesus name! Help me to run to you when the temptations arise and fight this battle, break this chain. Only You can do it! <3
❤️
Lord give me a new hert
Romans 6:23 says we are free from sin and enslaved to God.
A few weeks ago at church the sermon was about being slaves to God. How slave has such a negative connotation to it. But the pastor had me pondering, and to ask myself “what am I slave to?”. Social media. Phone. Food. These things have such a hold on my life. I’m slave to them, they take up so much of my time, energy and thoughts.
If I were to put as much energy into being a slave to God as I do to these other things just imagine how much of Gods goodness would be present in the world through me. What a gift God has given me, now to take hold of it and use it.
Thank You Blood of Christ!
Yes, we are sinful by nature, but by the blood of the Lamb we are washed clean – Thank you Jesus!…”My chains are gone, I’ve been set free — My God, my Savior has ransomed me — And like a flood His mercy reigns — Unending love — Amazing grace.” God’s amazing grace.
This little story we have all heard since children. I have never gotten so much out of it. I even saw the “peer pressure” of Adam eating the fruit. This is SO for todays life! We just need to learn to read it and drink it in.
What a gift we have been given.
The title of today’s teaching is: All People are Sinful by Nature. This describes our condition. I have listened to messages by Voddie Bauchman and Steve Lawson about the doctrine of Total Depravity that goes along with this fact in today’s title. Actually, I’ve played these more than once and want to listen to again. Powerful words that can be eye opening! Here are the links: https://youtu.be/7euaVitBVBw
https://youtu.be/zXvQi7BuAiM
❤️
“I, the Lord, examine the mind,
I test the heart,
to give to each according to his way,
according to what his actions deserve” Jer 17:10
Thank You Jesus for taking on what I deserve so that I might have a new heart
Thank you Lord for the gift of your son