Why Examine?
To illustrate how Israel had failed to measure up to his standard, God gives Amos a vision:
This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb,[a] with a plumb line in his hand. And the LORD asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”
“A plumb line,” I replied.
Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer. (Amos 7:7-8)
The Decisions We Make
Every day we are required to make thousands of decisions that impact our relationship with God IN FACT he more power and responsibility that has been given to us the more complex, difficult, and numerous our decisions become.
King David, for example, was frequently required to make difficult decisions based on the requests that were made of him. Throughout the book of Samuel we find him using a simple technique that aided his decision-making: asking simple, clarifying questions. Time and again David asks small, simple questions such as, “What shall I do for you?” (2 Sam. 21:2) or “What do you want me to do for you?” (2 Sam. 21:4).
The Questions We Ask Ourselves: Walking This Out This Week
At first glance this practice may seem trivial. After all, who doesn't ask such questions? But when we look closer we see that David uses such simple questions to collect information for making complex decisions.
Self-examination by definition is essential to the process of sanctification because it shows us how we measure up to Jesus.
Meditate on the following passage: “Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins? Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the LORD!” (Lam. 3:37-40).
Evaluation — To possess such self-knowledge—to “know thyself”—has been considered by many spiritual writers to be necessary for attaining wisdom, humility, and spiritual freedom. We gain such knowledge by frequently reflecting on our actions and attitudes to measure how they conform to Christ.
How do you feel about self-reflection? Do you find it easy to take an honest assessment of your virtues and flaws, or does it make you uncomfortable to measure your spiritual progress?
EVERY DAY THIS WEEK
1) Invite the Lord Into Your Day- Simply put start your day with a prayer that acknowledges that you want God to be the leading and driving force of your day.
2) Look back on the day- At the end of the day, look back over the ways you saw God, and the ways he called you into conversation or meetings. Then ask simply, Did i take time to notice God there in the moment? or did I look like Jesus there to the people that were around me.
3) Listen to The Lord's Reproof- When it is clear that you failed to look like Jesus... call a snake a snake.... and then tomorrow don't do that again. Instead of not looking like God, Choose to look more like Him.
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