#3 - The Early Church Was Displeased With Themselves

Quote of the day:
"What you are must always displease you, if you are to attain to that which you are not." - St. Augustine

The early church was displeased with themselves... This sounds bad, but it's not that Augustine is indorsing a form of self-loathing, instead he knows that we as Christians tend to think to highly of ourselves.

These moments... we all have them... these moments that we think we have made it are the moments when we surely have not made it. In fact, its the times when we are most pleased with ourselves that really we are the most detestable to be around.

Paul says it this way, "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own." - Philippians 3:13

Although we aren't perfect, we don't despair, we press on, knowing that we can never be pleased in ourselves through our own actions, but knowing that we have the righteousness of Christ imputed and infused to us.... we have God's righteousness and we are becoming righteous like God.

May we always be displeased in ourselves, yet always pleased with Christ in us.