121 Days of Prayer

If You Teach Others, Why Don’t You Teach Yourself?

The purposes of this prayer are: Holiness/Righteousness, Repentance, Humility, Forgiveness and Reconciliation.

God of Justice, Paul explained in his epistle to the Romans that no one, neither Jew nor Gentile, can achieve salvation by any other means than through faith in the Messiah, Jesus. For those Jews that asserted that they were saved because God gave the Mosaic Law to the Jews, Paul explained that not one of them could claim to have observed every last statute, saying, “You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him. You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have been taught his law. You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness. You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God’s law gives you complete knowledge and truth. Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples? You are so proud of knowing the law, but you have dishonored God by breaking it. No wonder the Scriptures say, ‘The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.’” Romans 2:17–24 (NLT). Heavenly Father, Christians know that faith in Jesus and his sacrificial work on the cross is the only path to the kingdom of heaven. Repentance of our sins before you, Lord, allows us to request in humble contrition your forgiveness. Forgive us our sins, we pray, Father. Amen.