“Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, But who can find a faithful man?” (Proverbs 20:6, NKJV). Self-proclaimed goodness is common and cheap. Genuinely tested faithfulness, this verse suggests, is far rarer.
It’s easy to describe ourselves in generous terms. It’s much harder to actually be found faithful over time, under pressure, when no one’s watching.
This verse doesn’t ask us to distrust everyone. It asks us to notice the gap between self-description and demonstrated character, in others and in ourselves.
If someone evaluated your faithfulness by your actions over the last month rather than by how you’d describe yourself, what would they find?