A Christian couple told their sons to be kind to the boys next door but not to become close companions with them. They explained that these boys could get them in trouble because of their dirty talk, their fighting, and their disrespectful attitude.

When the father of those boys learned this, he was angry. “You think your kids are too good for mine,” he said one day to the other father. “No,” the believer quietly replied. “My kids have so many bad traits that they need all the encouragement they can get in the right direction. In fact, we too are sinners who need forgiveness. That’s why we believe on Jesus Christ. We’re not better than you or your boys.”

Even the best among us, young or old, think and act in sinful ways. We need the forgiveness that comes through faith in Jesus Christ, and we need Him to help us live a life that pleases God.

The rich young ruler in Luke 18 was outwardly religious and morally upright. But Jesus showed him his basic inner selfishness (vv.22-23). He too needed forgiveness. He too needed a new birth and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s not deceive ourselves. No matter how bad or how good we may be, we all need Jesus.