Our entrance into Heaven does not depend upon how well we compare to other people, but how well we compare to the absolute standard of sinlessness. But God, in His wisdom, developed the sacrificial system, and Jesus Christ’s sacrifice satisfies the sentence of every single sinner. God will not condemn Christians regardless of what sin we commit, as long as we believe in Jesus Christ and do not blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

It is most important that the spirit with which we obey the law of God must be a sacrificial spirit, meaning that we must be able to put aside our own needs so that any benefit that comes from that which we do will go to others, and we must be able to put aside our desires to build up our own reputation so that any glory that comes from that which we do will go to God.

Religious rituals are only useful if they lead us to recognize our shortcomings and repent. Coming to church without the proper mindset is useless.

Our personal discomforts, our personal self-consciousness, and our focus on the bad experiences in our history all combine to make us defensive. Once we become defensive, we find it difficult to allow ourselves to experience the joy that the Lord has for us in our relationships. Our defensiveness leads us into adversarial relationships with our spouses and draw us inexorably toward the dissolution of our marriages that we consciously do not want.