I am so thankful for the new tone of civility that I'm seeing in our responses to each other. It seems that God has used the discord for our good and His glory, as each of us has had to learn to defend our beliefs in such a way that others don't tune us out. We've also learned to reason together in ways that I believe are pleasing to God.

For what it's worth, I am so proud of each one who has humbled himself/herself under God's mighty hand in order that hearts might be changed and God's Truth might shine more brightly in our hearts and lives.

I'm sharing a devotional email I received today. It's a little unusual, in that most of Joni's emails have been about Christ's death and resurrection this week, and it gave me much to ponder and to pray over. I pray that it will help some of you as well.

Wow, I'm so just incredibly grateful to our Lord that He continues His wonderful work in us, no matter how old we are, or how set in our ways, or how stubborn we tend to be. I praise Him for continuing to soften my heart and to teach me to be more like Him, and to enable me to show His love to others in ways I never thought I could.

Much love to all of you in Christ our Lord,

Lydia F 

         

No Hypocrites

Joni Eareckson Tada

 

You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.  Matthew 7:5

 

One of my goals in life is exactly the same as yours. I don't want to be a hypocrite. Every day I want to shorten the distance between that which I profess and that which I actually live. I want no gaps between my "talk" and my "walk."

 

It's why I'd like to repeat every day for the next month, this "Test for Self-Evaluation" proposed by John Wesley. The questions reflect the heart of scripture, so every morning we should ask ourselves, "Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I'm a better person than I really am? Do I laugh at the mistakes of others, reveling in their errors and misfortunes? Do I insist on having my own way? Is there a tendency for me to put others down so that I'll be thought of more highly? Do I pass on to others what is told to me in confidence? Am I thoughtful in expressing 'thanks' to people for what they've done for me, no matter how insignificant it seems? Am I a slave to dress, friends, work or habits? Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?

 

Did the Bible live in me yesterday? Did I disobey God in anything yesterday? Did I insist on doing something about which my conscience was uneasy? Did I handle discouragement well or did I have to be coddled? Am I enjoying prayer? When did I last speak to someone about Christ? Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize or hold resentment toward? If so, what am I doing about it? Is Christ real to me?"

 

* * * * * * *

Copy this page, tuck it in your daily journal, and refer to John Wesley's questions often. Purpose to shorten the gap between what you say and what you live.

 Lord Jesus, I don't want to be a hypocrite. I pray that what I say about my walk with you matches the way I live.