Feb 09

Awareness of our sinfulness is a key to coming close to Jesus and knowing him. But we must be careful here, for too much introspection, too much searching of the heart, is not good. It can tear us down below the level God intends for us to reach by searching our hearts. We cannot trust what our own searchings of heart might reveal to us because we cannot trust our own heart:

"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who canunderstand it" (Jer. 17:9).

No, far better to let God himself search our heart. We should cry out with David:

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23, 24).

How does God search our hearts? The number-one way is through his Holy Word. Whenever we read the Bible, the Spirit of God who wrote that book searches the heart of the reader, exposingthat heart and its spirit to the Spirit of God.

"For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Heb. 4:12).

It does not take a lot of reading God's Word to accomplish this; that is why many of the Scripture readings for the day given in these devotions are short. One word from God is all that is needed.

Scripture for today: Hebrews 4:12, 13
Thought for today: I do not trust my own evaluation of myself. I need to ask God to examine me.
Prayer for today: I do ask you, Holy Spirit, to examine my heart. Clean out anything that is not from you. I want to be clean and pure and holy, like Jesus. Amen.

FEB 09