Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada with a hard word from Scripture.
It’s found in Matthew chapter 7 where Jesus says—not to a lot of other people, but to you and me—the Holy Spirit inspired this verse for us and it says, “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”
Oh, my goodness, I read that verse and I say to myself ‘I don’t want to be a hypocrite.’ Honestly, that’s one of my goals in life—not to be a hypocrite—maybe my biggest goal. In fact, I just bet that goal is exactly the same as yours. Every day I want to shorten the distance between what I profess and what I actually live. And I bet you do too. You want no gaps between your ‘talk’ and your ‘walk.’
Well, sometimes it helps when doing that to put some very specific and pointed questions in front of you each morning—questions that reflect the heart of Scripture. Ones you can ask yourself each day. Actually, they were proposed by John Wesley (of all people) centuries ago. He did it as a kind of self evaluation test. And these questions are so good, so convicting! But we need conviction, don't we, if we are going to progress in our walk with Christ. So, every morning how about joining me and asking yourself:
Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I’m a better person than I really am? Do I laugh at the mistakes of others, reveling in their errors and misfortunes? Do I insist on having my own way? Is there a tendency for me to put others down so that I’ll be thought of more highly? Do I pass on to others what is told to me in confidence? Am I thoughtful in expressing ‘thanks’ to people for what they’ve done for me, no matter how insignificant it seems? Am I a slave to dress, a slave to friends and their opinions, a slave to work or habits? Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying? Did the Bible live in me yesterday? Did I disobey God in anything yesterday? Did I insist on doing something about which my conscious was uneasy? Did I handle discouragement well or did I have to be coddled? Am I enjoying prayer? When did I last speak to someone about Christ? Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize or hold resentment toward? If so, what am I doing about it? Is Christ real to me?
Well, I’ll tell you what: John Wesley certainly knew human nature, didn’t he? He also was keenly aware of our tendency to gloss over piercing questions like these. Too often we judge ourselves by ourselves, don’t we? And you know how when you do that, sin can so easily deceive you, convincing you that your walk is your talk, that you actually live what you profess. Well, we may be followers of Jesus, but there is still a whole lot of human nature in our hearts that drags us in the opposite direction.
Nobody wants to be a hypocrite, so if these questions I just shared with you spoke to you or convicted your heart, then you need to print out a copy, tuck it in your daily journal, and refer to John Wesley’s questions often. Purpose to shorten the gap between what you say and what you live. Let your confession match your daily life. Just go to my radio page today at joniandfriends.org and download this self-evaluation exam by John Wesley. Oh, and while you’re on my radio page, don’t forget to ask for the CD of an interview that Dennis Rainey did with Ken and me about marriage—certainly can’t have hypocrisy in marriage. So don’t forget to come by and visit us today at joniandfriends.org.
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