Wednesday, November 16
Probe the heart
Scripture: Job 3-5, Luke 16
Luke 16:14–15 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and scoffing at him. 15 And he told them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly admired by people is revolting in God’s sight.
Observation
The Pharisees, who loved money, scoffed at Jesus’ teaching that you couldn’t serve two masters, both God and money. Jesus responded that they justify themselves in the sight of others but God knows their hearts. To justify yourself means you present yourself as right (even when you may not be).
Application
My wife says that my love language is being right. I love to be right. I love for others to think I’m right. I know what it is to justify myself in the sight of others. When I tell my story, I like to present myself in the best possible light. I justify myself in the sight of others.
This means I’m not always in touch with my own heart, my motives, or what actually happened and why. The story gets colored by my self-protective, self-promoting desire to justify myself. I need to honestly look at my motives and desires—not what I wish was true about me, but what really is. I can do this because I know that God loves me as I am, with all my flaws—and wants to help me change, which begins with honesty about what is actually in me.
I also need to remember as I hear others’ stories that they too want to justify themselves, and then ask a few probing questions to get to other perspectives on their story. Probe the motives—probe the heart.
Starting with me.Always.
Prayer: Lord, you know that we humans have a profound capacity for self-deception. Please help me to be honest with myself about my motives. Free me from the need to be right and the need to justify myself.