Let us examine and
probe our ways, Lamentations 3:40a (NASB)
“Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty,
sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety, one hundred. That should be enough.”
Harold thought out loud, “With this many petition sheets, there is
no way Dad and Mom can say no to me getting a pet rat. Now to go and
get some signatures.” and with those words, Harold headed to the
mall, the busiest place he could think of.
When Harold got to the mall he found
that it was indeed very busy. “I'll have these pages full in no
time.” he thought but getting signatures turned out to be harder
than he thought. First, nobody wanted to stop to talk to him. Second,
when they did they were either against rats or for parents. After
two hours he was only able to get three signatures.
After a couple more hours and only one
more signature, Harold headed to the food court to give his feet a
rest. As he sat at one of the tables chowing down a chili dog and
some fires, Tracy sneaked up behind him and poke him in the ribs. “I
thought you hated malls, Harold, what are you doing here?” she
asked.
After Harold explained everything to
Tracy, he was sure she would sign his petition because she loved
animals and he knew she had several pets and when Tracy asked to see
one of the petition papers he got all excited but instead of signing
it, Tracy ripped it into little tiny pieces. With a look of horror on
his face, Harold gasped, choking on the bite of burger he had in his
mouth. As he coughed and sputtered he said one word, “Why.”
“I live on a farm, Harold.” Tracy
snorted, “And anyone who lives on a farm around here knows a rat is
nothing but a nightmare. Why would I sing a petition for more rats?
I just signed one to get rid of rats two days ago.” “Why is
everybody against me.” Harold complained when he heard that. “Maybe
it's because you're not much different than a rat your self.” Tracy
told him, “If you really want to be around a rat just go stand next
to a mirror.”
Not wanting to hear anymore about
Tracy's dislike for rats, Harold took off for the rest room. When he
was sure she was gone he started to head back out to the mall floor
but as he did, he caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror. “I don't
see a rat in the mirror.” Harold said out loud. From behind one of
the stall doors, someone yelled out, “You're the rat she was
talking about.”
As Harold stood in front of the
mirror, he started making faces at it. Finally, he said, “I don't
look like a rat, I just look like me, perfect me. Too bad there
isn't more of me” As Harold headed out of the rest room he decided
to give up on his petition and headed home. As he walked home, he
thought about himself in the mirror and started to wonder where he
could find another self.
I have a mirror in my bathroom over
the vanity. I sort of use it once in awhile when I'm shaving in the
early hours of the morning – when my eyes are only half open. It
sort of helps me to see what I'm doing. Once in awhile I'll actually
look in the mirror to see what I look like and once in awhile I'll
make funny faces at myself.
Unless a mirror has been rigged, it
does a good job of letting you see you as you are and that can be a
good thing for sometimes we need to see ourselves for who, or what we
are.
Several time in the Bible we are
reminded, encouraged, commanded to examine ourselves, to take a look
at who we are, to see what kind of “dirt” we might be covered
with.
- 2 Corinthians 13:5a Look closely at yourselves. Test yourselves to see if you are living in the faith. (NCV)
- Lamentations 3:40a Let us examine and probe our ways, (NASB)
When we examine ourselves, we need to
look at more than just our outward appearance for outward appearances
can be deceiving.
- Matthew 23:27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. (ESV)
- 1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." (ESV)
When
we look at ourselves we have a mirror with which to look in, a mirror
that does not lie, it's God's word. Hebrews 4:12 tells us For
the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and
of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
(ESV) To this we can add 2
Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by God and is useful
for teaching, for showing people what is wrong in their lives, for
correcting faults, and for teaching how to live right.
(NCV)
God's word can
have a big impact on ones life when it is read. Look at King Josiah.
In
Josiah’s eighteenth year as king, he made Judah and the Temple pure
again. He sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the city leader, and
Joah son of Joahaz the recorder to repair the Temple of the LORD, the
God of Josiah....The Levites brought out the money that was in the
Temple of the LORD. As they were doing this, Hilkiah the priest found
the Book of the LORD’S Teachings that had been given through Moses.
Hilkiah said to Shaphan the royal secretary, “I’ve found the
Book of the Teachings in the Temple of the LORD!“ Then he gave it
to Shaphan. Shaphan took the book to the king and reported to
Josiah, “Your officers are doing everything you told them to do.
They have paid out the money that was in the Temple of the LORD and
have given it to the supervisors and the workers.“ Then Shaphan
the royal secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me
a book.“ And Shaphan read from the book to the king. When the king
heard the words of the Teachings, he tore his clothes to show how
upset he was.
2
Chronicles 34:8,14-19 (NCV)
Once we have looked at our selves we
need to be careful not to forget what we saw, be careful not to make
necessary changes. - Do not deceive yourselves by just listening
to his word; instead, put it into practice. If you listen to the
word, but do not put it into practice you are like people who look in
a mirror and see themselves as they are. They take a good look at
themselves and then go away and at once forget what they look like.
James 1:22-24 (TEV)
Here's Something To Ponder
- Have you examined yourself in the mirror of God's word lately?
- What do you look like compared to God's word?
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