When you look at yourself, what do you find?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.
(Ephesians 5:3 (NIV))

Did this hit a little too close to home?

If not, when was the last time that you took a very serious and in-depth look at yourself?

If you examine yourself with God’s Word as the benchmark, you will always come up short. If you aren’t finding anything, then you aren’t looking!

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?
(2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV))

We have been given other things to look for beside sexual immorality, impurity and greed. We have also been told the consequences if we do not take action to correct these traits.

Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
(Ephesians 5:4-5 (NIV))

If we have professed a faith in Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, then we are called to do the things that Jesus did. I have not found a single passage that says that He possessed any of these traits that we are told are improper. If we truly desire to follow Jesus, then we are to follow Him in all aspects of our lives. Jesus never embraced sin. He rebuked sin. He told people to leave their life of sin and follow Him.

With that said, I want to ask you one more time to take an in-depth look at yourself. Examine your life through the eyes of Jesus.

When you look at yourself, what do you find?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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We cannot live in both the light and the darkness. Choose!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
(1 Thessalonians 5:4-11 (NIV))

Have we forgotten that we are not supposed to be in darkness? Too many people who say that they are Christians stumble in the darkness out of choice.

Darkness can mean many things, but primarily it means that we walk away from the will of God. Whether we do not read and study the Scriptures or we argue amongst ourselves, we are not walking in God’s perfect will for us, and are, therefore, walking in darkness.

Each of us steadfastly holds on to things that we do not want to give up because we love our sin too much. Is this what Jesus died for, to allow us to continue to hold ourselves higher than God?

Closely examine Jesus’ life and then examine your life. Do you look more like one of His disciples, or do you look more like the rich young man who did not want to give up his worldly sin for eternal life?

If we are truly in the light, then we must be willing to examine our lives as they are shown in and through the light and not hide things in the darkness. We cannot live in the light and in the darkness at the same time. We must strive to be in the light so that the words that Paul wrote can apply to us.

Copyright 1998 – 2013 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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