Daily Self-Examination

 

Daily Self-Examination

Romans 2:3-4 (MSG): You didn’t think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard? Or did you think that because he’s such a nice God, he’d let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change (through His Son, Jesus. Q Note)

In my recent study of Thomas a’ Kempis, I came across his focus on self-examination and its importance concerning our relationship to God, to one another, and to ourselves. In our culture, where we are so divided, it indicates a sickness unto the death of the self.  We are so critical, so judgmental, so evaluative, that we don’t realize that we ourselves are part of the problem. 

Bec has said on several occasions, “What we don’t like about someone else, if we look closely, we see how we have that same trait in ourselves." 

In my life, I have been critical, sometimes judgmental of others, but I have been mostly critical and judgmental about myself. I don’t know how many times people have indicated to me that I am self-deprecating. My rather low self-image was due to the environment I was brought up in, in my younger days, and only became aware of what I was saying to God and to others who love(d) me. 

So as I live some of those life-altering experiences of early childhood, and how some of that still lingers, I found Thomas a’ Kempis very helpful, but also an initiator within me of how I see myself, thus affecting how I ‘look’ at others. 

As a Christian, our task is to be vigilant in staying alive to the ongoing presence of God and His Holy Spirit and the power of Christ. I suspect that would be impossible if we are always critical of ourselves and/or others.  In ‘a Kempis’ remarkable and uncomplicated book, “The Imitation of Christ”, he warns us about not being in harmony with the Spirit. But the problem is not with Christ, but with ourselves.  Following Christ, seeking to be like Him (imitating) in thought, word, and deed, is everyday business. But we don’t realize it, don’t see it.   

God began to open my eyes to the daily self-examination through the eyes of Jesus, by how He treated others, what He said to others, and how He accepted others.  So I started making a list of a few of His encounters, and have found that I am less like Christ in my thoughts about myself and others.  Let the following be a confession to God and to you of what I found out about myself and possibly what I should see about others by finding Christ in them. 

Seeing Jesus, seeing myself through His encounters:

• blind man whose healing was not complete the first time (Mark 8:22-25)
• The father, whose son had a demon since childhood, asked Jesus to heal his son, and following the question from Jesus, “Do you believe?” he responded I do believe, but help my unbelief. (Mark 9:14-26)
• The woman who happened to be a Samaritan, alone, at the well (can refer to Ken Massy’s sermon and Mary Jane Dye’s Facebook entry attached to Ken’s sermon), seeking water at noon, and Jesus talks to her, asks for water, and Jesus offers her living water. (John 4:4-42)
• Ten lepers were healed, and only one returned to praise God and give thanks to Jesus for what He did. (Luke 17:11-19)  
• Thomas, one of the disciples, doubted our Lord’s resurrection, and Jesus walked into His disciples’ midst and, a second time, with Thomas present, presented Himself to Thomas and told Thomas to place his fingers into His side. (John 20:24-29)
• Becky, the best of Martha and Mary combined, was possibly the first to know and profess Jesus as the Messiah, and her spirituality includes hospitality, kindness, and service to others. (John 11:23-27)

Questions we need to ask:  

1. What does this say first about God? 
2. What does this say about others and even yourself?
3. What does this say about the relationship between you and God?

“Self-examination and grace go together. Grace­—the very power of the Holy Spirit ­—causes us to examine our lives. Even if we’ve been walking with Christ for many years, self-examination remains vital. The holy life is a life of self-examination. It’s not a legalistic one, of course, but one where we continually open ourselves up to the transforming work of God.

 

1 Corinthians 13 is often read at weddings, and it’s a lovely passage. We know it: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”

 

What Paul was writing about here, though, is Christ. Replace the word “love” with “Christ” in this passage and we see it very clearly. He is love incarnate. Self-examination asks, “am I like him?”

 

Whether you observe Lent or not, this is a good practice. Because, as Wesley wrote to Miss March, self-examination of this kind leads to promised wholeness. For in seeing ourselves as we really are, we are drawn to Christ all the more. His offered love becomes even sweeter still. And he stands with open arms to embrace us and make us whole.” (Ryan Danker)