14 October 2015 - pour out your hearts before him

Doesn't matter how clean it is

For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself,
since you, the judge, do the very same things.

It is easy to point at the world and talk about what it is doing wrong. It is harder to look within. In fact, we often point out the problems of the world to distract ourselves from ourselves, rather than to solve them. The world may be obsessed with sex, drugs, and rock and roll. It may indulge in violence and profanity. It may delight in blasphemy and superstition. It clearly does. Yet, when we talk about such things, what is the problem we're trying to solve? Even if the world does hear us, even if they do somehow actually realize that they are in the wrong, will it do them any good?

You impose on people burdens hard to carry,
but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.

Are we unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk? Are we concealing the impurity of our hearts beneath the shield of religious observation and piety? This isn't just a problem for us. It is a problem for all who encounter us. God wants to reach out to these people through us but instead they only find impurity and death.

We need to remember that "the kindness of God would lead you to repentance". We must hold "his priceless, kindness, forbearance, and patience" in high esteem. We cannot rely on our own effort our practice much less in how such effort compares to that of others. For those in the world and for us there is only one place our souls can be at rest and that is God himself.

If we learn to hope in him as our rock and our salvation we won't find ourselves needing to talk about others in condemnation. We are able to trust him at all times and pour out our hearts before him. Even when we find ourselves very imperfect we can take refuge in him.