When can a good thing be bad? When it gets in the way of something more important. In this case, our own good behavior can become a bad thing if it leads us to trust in our own goodness rather than the grace of God. Such "goodness" becomes self-righteousness that produces resentment rather than love, entitlement rather than gratitude. We must repent and turn away from making any good thing a substitute for the love of God in Jesus Christ.

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For Reflection:

Jesus becomes a stumbling block whenever we make anything, even a good thing like faithful obedience, into a substitute for the love and grace of God.

- Have you ever felt that you deserved something good from God more than someone else? What was the good thing in you that you thought made you more deserving of God's love?

- The older brother in the parable of the prodigal (Luke 15:11-32) was angry because he felt that he was more deserving of the father's love. What might help him, or you, celebrate rather than resent his "less-deserving" sibling?