Passage of the Day: Psalm 51: 6 [see verse in bold/underlined] …
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6 Surely You desire truth in the inner parts; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place. 7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
My Journal for Today: In the past two days of this study into the nature of sin, which is actually a study of the inner nature of mankind and my humanity, I’ve noted that true confession of sinfulness involves a right view … #1, of sin and … #2, of God. And to put a tag on this three-part mini-study, John MacArthur in his Strength for Today devotional on this date, helps me [us] see that this self-inventory also involves #3, … a right view of self.
I agree with MacArthur, who contends that a great many non-believers, and unfortunately far too many Christians, have fallen prey to the cultural trend toward boosting “self-esteem.” There are literally hundreds of self-help books on the market; and “self-esteem” gurus, like Oprah or Dr. Phil, who have become the leaders of our self-improvement market of pseudo-spiritual teachers. And many Christians get sucked into this vortex of belief which touts believing in self, following so-called “Christian” teachers like Joel Osteen. If you’re reading this, my friend, it’s all a lie from hell which causes us to take our eyes off of our Savior and onto self. Jesus clearly taught (see an old favorite in my devotionals – Luke 9: 23a) that any disciple of His must “deny self;” and so any worldly teaching that promotes or lifts up “selfism,” is an anti-Christ teaching.
Perhaps some of this, from a Christian standpoint, could come from a misshaped view of Jesus’ teaching from Matt. 19: 19 to “… love our neighbor as yourself,” which is not a mandate for self-love, but Christ’s command of what the Apostle Paul covered in Phil. 2: 3 – 4, … for Christians to “… consider others better than (i.e., before) ourselves.” To Jesus, the love of others came out of the recognition of the reality that God is in our hearts, and whenever we choose (and love is always a choice, not a feeling) to love others first, we are giving them [i.e., others] the same love that God gives to us through His Spirit, which is a sinless, selfless love, [i.e., “agape” love] … not a love of self extended to others to make us feel good. But our self-help gurus would have us believe that we must first love ourselves so that we can be able to reach out to others. Hopefully you can see the skin of this lie which is wrapped around a teaching of Christ. Oh, how clever the enemy can be!! Ironically we can love ourselves if and when we’re able to choose to love the God in us, who is Emmanuel … i.e., Christ. And when we love Him, receiving the grace of God through His Spirit, we’re able to extend our love of God in us to others and fulfill the Law of Christ (again Matt. 19: 19).
Actually, as we read in today’s verse of emphasis from Psalm 51: 6, David’s confessional hymn, we see that David recognized from whence the ability to love others came, … from God’s heart to ours … from God’s love of our very created being. He recognized that we would only be able to relate to God’s truth when we submitted to that truth. David saw that he (and, by extension, we) could only have true cleansing from sin and then witness to others when we could/would allow God to witness His holiness to the heart of mankind. In Ps. 51: 12 - 17 David writes of how joyfully he would witness God’s truth to others (i.e., to love others) or to praise God adequately, only when he could be rid of the sin that had plagued him. These latter verses are the outcries of a conquered, contrite, and openly-confessed sinner who had become surrendered to the love of God.
David had learned (of which you can read in 2nd Sam. 12: 10 – 19) that any sin has grave consequences. For David his sinfulness cost not only David, but his family and the nation of Israel; and Ps. 51 is David’s realization that he had to have a right view of himself, as well as a right view of his sin and his God, for him to be able to confess and get into a right relationship with God.
Therefore, when we seek cleansing from our sin, as did David, by our open and honest confession at God’s throne of grace, we must see our selves in the light of God’s holiness, seeking, with true humility, God’s cleansing from which we WILL find healing and restoration of our relationship with Christ (again, see and be uplifted by the powerful truths in Ps. 103: 8 – 13 and 1st John 1: 9).
My Prayer Today: Lord, You are God; and I am not! Heal me of my unholiness. Amen
Showing posts with label self examination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label self examination. Show all posts
Monday, October 10, 2011
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
2010 – December 22 – So Many Virtues, So Little Time
Study from God’s Word… Peter’s entire 2nd letter, written to the same churches in Asia Minor as his first epistle … Passage for Reflection: 2nd Peter 1: 5 – 7 [underlined], with verse 8 added for context in study … NIV 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
My Journal for Today: I became a Christian when I was 39 years old; and I really didn’t get going in my discipleship and growth until about five years thereafter. For those first few years, I was a real “babe” in Christ; and yes, I was exposed to a modicum of teaching and integration into the local church where I had become a member. However, it was not until I connected with a strong mentor, a Godly man, who was a strong follower of God’s word, that I began to grow in my faith, i.e., to take on many of the virtues and character qualities listed by Peter in this passage from his second letter.
In fact when you read, study, and meditate on this passage presented by Dr. Smith in his devotional for today, I hope you are inspired, as am I, to do a self inventory of your own growth by using this progressive list from God’s Spirit, written by Peter for any Christian to see how that one might stack up in their Christlikeness. And that’s what this was for the readers, or hearers, of Peter’s second letter. He was, like Paul did to the Galatians in Gal. 5: 22-23, presenting a list of qualities which would be attributed to Christ so that the disciple, reading or hearing them, could use them as a self inventory, just as Paul had instructed the Corinthians in 2nd Cor. 13: 5 to periodically test themselves (i.e., ourselves) in the faith to see how they’re (we’re) developing, … if we are at all.
Dr. Smith asks us, as his readers today, ”Can I see as much demonstrable growth in virtue since my spiritual rebirth as my physical growth from the day I was born?” In other words, when I used God’s pop-quiz, such as the one from Peter today, and I’m totally honest in looking at the qualities of Christlikeness from today’s text, as well as Paul’s list of the fruit of the Spirit in Gal. 5, we need to ask ourselves if we’re growing in Christlikeness or are we stagnate in our walk as a disciple of Christ? And if the latter is the case, what should we be doing, as we look forward to a New Year as a Christian to launch ourselves with the goal of becoming more like our ultimate role model, Jesus?
A few years ago, for the ministry I lead, I developed a method of doing a self rating and analysis to help any Christian, like myself, to do a 2nd Cor. 13: 5 inventory, and then to identify weak areas in one’s Christlikeness index so as to set goals and develop a growth program in discipleship. Let me refer you to this discipleship tool should you want to try it out. And since I’ve used this tool for myself, I stand ready to help any Christian disciple to help him/her grow in Christlikeness. I’m only an email away >>> billb13@bellsouth.net. You can access the inventory tool, by clicking on this link. The instructions on the use of the tool are there; but if you need help using it, email me; or call me at our ministry number which is listed via “about us/contact us” on our ministry website at this link.
But, I hope we all keep close tabs on how much we’re growing in Christlikeness, so that when Christ does come, or we die before that happens, we’ll be as ready as we can be for our glorification into His likeness in Heaven.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me grow into Your likeness and keep growing thereunto. Amen
My Journal for Today: I became a Christian when I was 39 years old; and I really didn’t get going in my discipleship and growth until about five years thereafter. For those first few years, I was a real “babe” in Christ; and yes, I was exposed to a modicum of teaching and integration into the local church where I had become a member. However, it was not until I connected with a strong mentor, a Godly man, who was a strong follower of God’s word, that I began to grow in my faith, i.e., to take on many of the virtues and character qualities listed by Peter in this passage from his second letter.
In fact when you read, study, and meditate on this passage presented by Dr. Smith in his devotional for today, I hope you are inspired, as am I, to do a self inventory of your own growth by using this progressive list from God’s Spirit, written by Peter for any Christian to see how that one might stack up in their Christlikeness. And that’s what this was for the readers, or hearers, of Peter’s second letter. He was, like Paul did to the Galatians in Gal. 5: 22-23, presenting a list of qualities which would be attributed to Christ so that the disciple, reading or hearing them, could use them as a self inventory, just as Paul had instructed the Corinthians in 2nd Cor. 13: 5 to periodically test themselves (i.e., ourselves) in the faith to see how they’re (we’re) developing, … if we are at all.
Dr. Smith asks us, as his readers today, ”Can I see as much demonstrable growth in virtue since my spiritual rebirth as my physical growth from the day I was born?” In other words, when I used God’s pop-quiz, such as the one from Peter today, and I’m totally honest in looking at the qualities of Christlikeness from today’s text, as well as Paul’s list of the fruit of the Spirit in Gal. 5, we need to ask ourselves if we’re growing in Christlikeness or are we stagnate in our walk as a disciple of Christ? And if the latter is the case, what should we be doing, as we look forward to a New Year as a Christian to launch ourselves with the goal of becoming more like our ultimate role model, Jesus?
A few years ago, for the ministry I lead, I developed a method of doing a self rating and analysis to help any Christian, like myself, to do a 2nd Cor. 13: 5 inventory, and then to identify weak areas in one’s Christlikeness index so as to set goals and develop a growth program in discipleship. Let me refer you to this discipleship tool should you want to try it out. And since I’ve used this tool for myself, I stand ready to help any Christian disciple to help him/her grow in Christlikeness. I’m only an email away >>> billb13@bellsouth.net. You can access the inventory tool, by clicking on this link. The instructions on the use of the tool are there; but if you need help using it, email me; or call me at our ministry number which is listed via “about us/contact us” on our ministry website at this link.
But, I hope we all keep close tabs on how much we’re growing in Christlikeness, so that when Christ does come, or we die before that happens, we’ll be as ready as we can be for our glorification into His likeness in Heaven.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me grow into Your likeness and keep growing thereunto. Amen
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
2010 – June 22 – Prophets, Priests, and Kings
Study from God’s Word… Amos 7: 10 – 17; 2Kgs 14: 28 – 29, 15: 8 – 18; 2Kgs 15 [2Chron 26: 16 – 21] … Passage for Reflection: Amos 7: 10 … NIV 10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: "Amos [the Prophet] is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words.”
My Journal for Today: Today Dr. Smith uses the highlighted passage to call attention to three roles which were apparent as the political intrigue and power mongering went on in the times of Ancient Israel when Amos was a Prophet, Amaziah was the high Priest; and Jeroboam, the King. And in this regard, Dr. Smith calls attention to the three roles mentioned in this passage: Priest, Prophet, and King. And then the author/editor of my devotional book asks if I see myself in any of these roles, being aware of the strengths/weaknesses of that role.
He teaches here that PRIESTS have a tendency to maintain traditions and the status quo, where KINGS are into managing others, often seeing themselves as “movers or shakers.” Then there are the PROPHESTS, who seem like the troublemakers of the world, shaking things up by calling people to a higher standard. What about it, Dr. Smith asks, … do I fit any of these; and do I know what my strengths and weaknesses are? Well, I do know, from knowing and internalizing 2nd Cor. 13: 5 [linked] that I do need to examine myself periodically in the faith. The Bible demands this of me; but when I do this, I don’t try to “pigeon-hole” myself into any of the above categories. And some of the personality tools, which could help me to see myself as Type A or B, Phelgmatic or Sanguine, leader or follower, don’t really fit my goals in life either.
My only goal, as a follower (i.e., disciple) of Christ is to become more like my Lord today than yesterday and even more like Him tomorrow than today. And so, my only 2nd Cor. 13: 5 exam would allow me to see where my strengths/weaknesses lie with regard to CHRISTLIKENESS. And there are a number of ways that I do this. First, I simply get to know Jesus by reading about Him in Scripture and the way He went about life. In other words, if Jesus did life a certainly way, that’s a model I need to follow. Yeah, it’s sort of the “WWJD” thing, isn’t it?
Then, there were those characteristics listed by the Apostles, to which we should use as measuring sticks of Christlikeness. And years ago, my dear mentor taught me to take the lists put forth by Paul in Galatians 5: 22-23 (the Fruit of the Spirit) and by Peter in 2nd Peter 1: 5 – 9 to help us see if we have the characteristics of Christ which these Apostles felt were characters of Christ. But the simplest test I use is the one of examining whether I am growing in “humility” and “meekness,” because these are the only two character traits which Jesus used to describe Himself in Scripture (see Matt. 11: 29).
Therefore, by using these biblically based quality assurance tests, I can periodically do an inventory of myself to help stay on track and to grow in Christ the way I believe His Spirit desires to reshape me. “Prophet, Priest, or King” only interests me in that Jesus was all three; and I only desire to be like Him. So, I’ll continue to look in the mirror of God’s truth (i.e., God’s word), as I’m doing right here this morning, to see if I’m becoming more like Christ and wearing His robes of righteousness for all to see HIM or whether my rags of sinfulness are showing too much of the human side of me, hiding the light of Christ which He desires for others to see in me.
How about you? Whom do you want to be like and whom do you desire for others to see in you; … You … or Jesus?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I want to be like You! Amen
My Journal for Today: Today Dr. Smith uses the highlighted passage to call attention to three roles which were apparent as the political intrigue and power mongering went on in the times of Ancient Israel when Amos was a Prophet, Amaziah was the high Priest; and Jeroboam, the King. And in this regard, Dr. Smith calls attention to the three roles mentioned in this passage: Priest, Prophet, and King. And then the author/editor of my devotional book asks if I see myself in any of these roles, being aware of the strengths/weaknesses of that role.
He teaches here that PRIESTS have a tendency to maintain traditions and the status quo, where KINGS are into managing others, often seeing themselves as “movers or shakers.” Then there are the PROPHESTS, who seem like the troublemakers of the world, shaking things up by calling people to a higher standard. What about it, Dr. Smith asks, … do I fit any of these; and do I know what my strengths and weaknesses are? Well, I do know, from knowing and internalizing 2nd Cor. 13: 5 [linked] that I do need to examine myself periodically in the faith. The Bible demands this of me; but when I do this, I don’t try to “pigeon-hole” myself into any of the above categories. And some of the personality tools, which could help me to see myself as Type A or B, Phelgmatic or Sanguine, leader or follower, don’t really fit my goals in life either.
My only goal, as a follower (i.e., disciple) of Christ is to become more like my Lord today than yesterday and even more like Him tomorrow than today. And so, my only 2nd Cor. 13: 5 exam would allow me to see where my strengths/weaknesses lie with regard to CHRISTLIKENESS. And there are a number of ways that I do this. First, I simply get to know Jesus by reading about Him in Scripture and the way He went about life. In other words, if Jesus did life a certainly way, that’s a model I need to follow. Yeah, it’s sort of the “WWJD” thing, isn’t it?
Then, there were those characteristics listed by the Apostles, to which we should use as measuring sticks of Christlikeness. And years ago, my dear mentor taught me to take the lists put forth by Paul in Galatians 5: 22-23 (the Fruit of the Spirit) and by Peter in 2nd Peter 1: 5 – 9 to help us see if we have the characteristics of Christ which these Apostles felt were characters of Christ. But the simplest test I use is the one of examining whether I am growing in “humility” and “meekness,” because these are the only two character traits which Jesus used to describe Himself in Scripture (see Matt. 11: 29).
Therefore, by using these biblically based quality assurance tests, I can periodically do an inventory of myself to help stay on track and to grow in Christ the way I believe His Spirit desires to reshape me. “Prophet, Priest, or King” only interests me in that Jesus was all three; and I only desire to be like Him. So, I’ll continue to look in the mirror of God’s truth (i.e., God’s word), as I’m doing right here this morning, to see if I’m becoming more like Christ and wearing His robes of righteousness for all to see HIM or whether my rags of sinfulness are showing too much of the human side of me, hiding the light of Christ which He desires for others to see in me.
How about you? Whom do you want to be like and whom do you desire for others to see in you; … You … or Jesus?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I want to be like You! Amen
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
2010 – May 19 – Of Hidden Motives
Study from God’s Word… Many Proverbs listed in The Daily Bible in Chronological Order from Proverbs 6, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29, ordered by topics by the Editor, including Self motivation, False Worship, Duplicity, Love and Concern, Faithfulness, Hatred and Compassion, Kindness and Mercy, Welcome, Pride and Humility, Selfishness, Jealousy, Envy and Greed … Passage for Reflection: Proverbs 16: 2 … NIV All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD.
My Journal for Today: If you read and meditate on today’s highlight verse, letting it be a self analysis of our own motives for doing what we do, one could become convicted pretty quickly. I sure am!
For example, why are you here, reading along with Bill Berry in this devotional? Is it to grow in Christ or so that you can check off – honestly – on Facebook that you liked what I had to say? Or another one; … why did you put your tithe in the offering plate last Sunday? Is it because you gladly want to give the first fruits of God’s providence back to the Lord for Him to use it for His glory; or is it because you wanted that person sitting next to you in church to see you putting the envelope in the plate? … I know, I’m meddling; but let me ask you one more. … You exercised five days last week [okay, I’m being optimistic], doing aerobic and toning exercises. Did you do it to maintain God’s temple, the body, as we’re charged in 1st Cor. 6: 19-20; or did you do it so that you can look good in a mirror and be able to wear a bathing suit with pride this summer?
Yes, motive is important, isn’t it? It’s certainly important in a murder trial; but it’s even more important when it comes why we do what we do daily – for God’s glory or for selfish pride. As Dr. Smith points out with such brutal honesty today, ”… in God’s eyes it’s not just WHAT we do that counts, but WHY!” And he goes on, prodding me to ask myself (or you, yourself), ”When was the last time I double-checked my motives for doing even the good things I do?”
OUCH!!! Well, Dr. Smith, … that one hurt!! I guess I need to ask myself, why I’m sitting here writing this today. Am I doing it to get to know my God more deeply and intimately and to share what I learn with others? Or am I doing it so that I can imagine you saying, “Look how disciplined that Bill Berry is!” I’d like to think that my motive is the former; but sometimes, I have to admit, especially when someone makes an affirming comment about my discipline, I revel in gleeful pride that my brother/sister in Christ has noticed and is affirming my work.
Like it says in 2nd Cor. 13: 5 [linked] we all need to examine ourselves in the faith periodically to determine our motives and to get ourselves back into surrender mode to the Holy Spirit’s work of reshaping our attitudes and actions into those which mirror our Savior, Jesus. And to that end I pray today. >>>
My Prayer for Today: Lord, keep me open to Your enlightening and enabling grace, convicting me and directing my motives to glorify You in all I think, say, and do. Amen
My Journal for Today: If you read and meditate on today’s highlight verse, letting it be a self analysis of our own motives for doing what we do, one could become convicted pretty quickly. I sure am!
For example, why are you here, reading along with Bill Berry in this devotional? Is it to grow in Christ or so that you can check off – honestly – on Facebook that you liked what I had to say? Or another one; … why did you put your tithe in the offering plate last Sunday? Is it because you gladly want to give the first fruits of God’s providence back to the Lord for Him to use it for His glory; or is it because you wanted that person sitting next to you in church to see you putting the envelope in the plate? … I know, I’m meddling; but let me ask you one more. … You exercised five days last week [okay, I’m being optimistic], doing aerobic and toning exercises. Did you do it to maintain God’s temple, the body, as we’re charged in 1st Cor. 6: 19-20; or did you do it so that you can look good in a mirror and be able to wear a bathing suit with pride this summer?
Yes, motive is important, isn’t it? It’s certainly important in a murder trial; but it’s even more important when it comes why we do what we do daily – for God’s glory or for selfish pride. As Dr. Smith points out with such brutal honesty today, ”… in God’s eyes it’s not just WHAT we do that counts, but WHY!” And he goes on, prodding me to ask myself (or you, yourself), ”When was the last time I double-checked my motives for doing even the good things I do?”
OUCH!!! Well, Dr. Smith, … that one hurt!! I guess I need to ask myself, why I’m sitting here writing this today. Am I doing it to get to know my God more deeply and intimately and to share what I learn with others? Or am I doing it so that I can imagine you saying, “Look how disciplined that Bill Berry is!” I’d like to think that my motive is the former; but sometimes, I have to admit, especially when someone makes an affirming comment about my discipline, I revel in gleeful pride that my brother/sister in Christ has noticed and is affirming my work.
Like it says in 2nd Cor. 13: 5 [linked] we all need to examine ourselves in the faith periodically to determine our motives and to get ourselves back into surrender mode to the Holy Spirit’s work of reshaping our attitudes and actions into those which mirror our Savior, Jesus. And to that end I pray today. >>>
My Prayer for Today: Lord, keep me open to Your enlightening and enabling grace, convicting me and directing my motives to glorify You in all I think, say, and do. Amen
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