2020-11-26
Psalm 25:15 NIV
Hannah Whitall Smith writes: “It is no use for us to examine self, and tinker with it in hope of improving it. The thing the Lord wants us to do is to get rid of it.”
Your old nature is determined to hold your attention; it would rather be thought of badly than not at all. In the process of examining your flesh and feeling miserable, you’re apt to think you are being humble, honest, and spiritual. But the only spiritual and safe way to handle your fleshly nature is to consign it to the “ignore file,” and anchor your attention and expectations exclusively on the Lord.
David understood how this principle worked: “My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.” Looking at your own “clay feet” (weaknesses and failures), and the “snare” (your unregenerate flesh) you’re tangled in, won’t free you from the trap. You’ll just end up further entangled. Only God, together with your cooperation, can release you from the trap of the flesh. Keeping your “eyes…ever on the Lord” is His way of giving you the victory.
Listen again to what David said: “I keep my eyes always on the Lord…I will not be shaken…You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:8-11 NIV).
Your job is simple, though not necessarily easy. It’s to ignore your fleshly cravings and stay focused on Jesus. His job is to transform you by His mighty power!
Soul food: 2 Chr 25-28; John 13:31-38; Ps 118:1-9; Prov 27:23-27
2020-11-25
Ephesians 4:22 NLT
Does God expect us to work on growth and self-improvement? Yes! But just as examining yourself is futile, so is trying to change if it keeps you self-focused and defeated. The Bible’s path to change is to turn away from self and focus on Christ. Paul says, “We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory…by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV).
God isn’t interested in improved flesh. In His eyes “improved flesh” is still flesh. He’s in the character- transformation business, not the self-improvement business. All your self-improvement strategies can’t transform your old self-nature. Only God, “by the Spirit,” can make you more Christ-like. As you “behold (look at and study) as in a mirror (the Word of God)” you become “transformed into the same image (the image of God you’re looking at) from glory to glory (grade to grade).” It doesn’t happen because of your grit, but because of His grace.
“So what will happen to my flesh?” you ask. God’s ultimate plan is to replace it and give you a new heavenly body. That’s why Paul writes: “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.” No altering, adjusting, and patching-up allowed – you must “throw it off!” Like a lobster growing and shedding the confinement of its old shell, as you focus on and fellowship with Christ, you are released from the dominance of your old nature and grow into your new one. You’re transformed – from the inside out.
Soul food: 2 Chr 22-24; John 13:18-30; Ps 114; Prov 27:20-22
2020-11-24
Luke 12:37 NKJV
When dealing with self-focus, you may ask, “What about those Scriptures that specifically tell us to ‘watch’? Aren’t they all about keeping an eye on ourselves?” That’s a good question, so let’s take a look at some of those “watch” passages in Scripture.
In Mark 13:34-37 (NKJV) we read: “A man going to a far country…left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming – in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning – lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”
What Jesus was teaching here is the exact opposite of self-focus. The doorkeeper wasn’t to watch himself, but to watch for his returning master. Jesus expects us to forget ourselves, work conscientiously for His kingdom, and be watching and prepared for His return. He said, “Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself…have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.”
Far from an obsessive self-introspection that leaves you exhausted, discouraged, and disappointed with yourself, Jesus wants you to be excited and involved in His work here on earth, to actively watch for the coming again of your Lord and King. “Look to Me, [not to yourself!] and be saved…For I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22 NKJV). So focus more on God – and less on yourself.
Soul food: 2 Chr 19-21; John 13:1-17; Ps 95; Prov 27:17-19
2020-11-23
2 Corinthians 13:5 NIV
Self-focus isn’t necessarily bad if it leads to spiritual growth. However, some people mistakenly assume that it’s a biblical mandate! After all, didn’t God tell us to “examine ourselves”? So with that in mind we start to wonder – “Do I measure up spiritually? Have I truly repented? Do I pray enough? Is God pleased with me?” The truth is, focusing on yourself can keep you feeling discouraged and defeated. Let’s check and see what God actually says.
There are only two mentions of self-examination in Scripture, and neither teaches us to indulge in self-focus.
First, Paul challenged the Corinthians about tolerating gross sin in their church. A man was having an affair with his stepmother and no one seemed bothered by it. And because they had “not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they…indulged” (2 Corinthians 12:21 NIV), Paul wrote, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.” This isn’t an invitation to self-focus, but a spiritual credential checkup. “See whether you are in the faith.”
Second, Paul corrected the Corinthians’ behavior during the Lord’s Supper. Because some were getting drunk on communion wine, he said, “Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup” (1 Corinthians 11:28 NIV). Paul’s not suggesting you become fixated on your flaws, but on the liberating truth that Jesus paid the price for all your sin – past, present, and future. The Bible says, “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2 NIV).
Growth, joy, and victory lie in abandoning unhealthy self-focus and staying Christ-focused!
Soul food: 2 Chr 16-18; John 12:37-50; Ps 102:18-28; Prov 27:13-16
2020-11-22
Psalm 34:8 NCV
The psalmist said, “Examine and see how good the Lord is.” Pay particular attention to the words “examine” and “good.” What you believe about God manifests itself in the way you live. What does it mean to be “good”? It means living up to the best you know. And since God is omniscient (all-knowing), He knows what your best is! His goodness is beyond all question. Because God is good – not just pious, but really, practically, consistently good – your cup of well-being, security, peace, confidence, and joy can be overflowing!
A good God cannot break His promise, abandon His children, or fail to love and bless them. You can be sure that in every circumstance He will treat you in the best possible way.
When your life seems to be falling apart, sometimes it’s difficult to see God’s goodness or feel that things will get better. That’s when you must use the faith God has already given you, and by an act of your will, trust Him (See Romans 12:3).
A wise pastor was asked by a troubled parishioner, “Pastor, does the world look like a wreck to you too?” He replied, “Yes, like the wreck of a bursting seed!” Without undergoing the “wreck” stage, during which its world literally falls apart, the acorn could never give life to an oak tree. So embrace God’s will in this trial because it’s “good, acceptable and perfect,” regardless of how it feels to you right now (See Romans 12:2). Ultimately, you’ll “see how good the Lord is. Happy is the person who trusts in him!”
Soul food: Gen 24:1-51; 2 Cor 6:14-7:1
2020-11-21
Mark 5:19 NKJV
Have you ever been somewhere so wonderful that you never wanted to leave? That’s how the man in Mark chapter 5 felt after Jesus healed him from a life of insanity. He wanted to travel with Jesus, listen to His teachings, witness His miracles, and enjoy His company. But Jesus told him to go home and tell His family what God had done for him. God doesn’t want you to live remote and distant from the rest of the world! The only way to keep what you have, is to give it away. After a spiritual mountaintop experience, you must take what you’ve received and share it with those in the valley.
The man in today’s reading had spent years living in a graveyard. He was cutting himself and raving incoherently. Now the crowd saw him “sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind” (Luke 8:35 NKJV). And that’s still how it works. First Jesus clothes you, then He calls you. When you come to Him, you’re spiritually naked, so He wraps you in His righteousness.
Paul says, “Any man…in Christ…is a new creature: old things are passed away…all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV). Whereas you were once “in Adam” where all die, now you’re “in Christ” where all are made alive spiritually (See 1 Corinthians 15:22).
Hymnist Edwin Mote wrote: “Clothed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.” But never forget that once you’re “clothed and in your right mind,” it’s your God-given mandate to go out and tell others what the Lord has done for you.
Soul food: 2 Chr 12-15; John 12:20-36; Ps 102:12-17; Prov 27:10-12
