The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
	Jeremiah 17:9
We have a tendency to think we don’t have to abide in the Lord, that we can do some pretty good things on our own, that we’re not that bad. The average person thinks he’s just a couple of steps away from perfection. But that’s due to the deception of the heart. When I used to play basketball with Peter John, I was awesome. With my hook shots, rebounds, and lay-ups, I was unstoppable. When he turned twelve, however, things got a little more difficult! We can always find people to compare ourselves to and feel okay about. But when you compare yourself to the true standard - not your friend, not your neighbor, but Christ Jesus, Who lived life the way it was meant to be lived - you realize you’re not as hot as you thought. The more you get to know the Lord, the more you realize how far you are from where you should be. When you’re first saved you think, “Once I get off cocaine, I’ll be perfect.” But as you walk with the Lord, you realize there are so many subtleties in your heart - motives, attitudes, and perspectives that are amiss. The closer you get to Him and the more you realize you need His grace, the more you enjoy His forgiveness and marvel at His patience.