Final Thoughts
As I close out this week of reflection and self-examination, I just want to point out one critical truth. Without Jesus, we are incapable of examining our hearts in this way. Without God’s intervention, we are the ones who look in the mirror and quickly forget what we see. We are blind to our own wickedness; we are entrenched in habits and behaviors that glorify ourselves; and our ability to peer into the depths of our own unrighteousness is fractured by the curse of sin. But Jesus!
As I wrote these devotions, I was convicted all the more that I don’t want to spend one more day on this earth carrying the baggage of unforgiveness, or deeply rooted sin, or the lack of discipline in my Christian walk. This change might require me to take a painfully honest look at myself in the mirror, assess the damage, and allow the Lord to do what He deems necessary in my life to make me more like Jesus. It might involve a scalpel. It might hurt a little. And it will definitely make me uncomfortable. But as we read in Mark 9, I’d rather enter heaven with a limp than go to hell with all my limbs perfectly intact.
God has given us all that we need through the ordinary means of grace to abide in Him, to resist the temptations of sin, and to walk humbly through life with Him. How has your prayer life been lately? Have you spent time in scripture? I’m asking because I know from experience that these are the very first things that go by the wayside when we get busy with life. But they are honestly the most critical components of our walk with Jesus. Those “ordinary means of grace” (even though there’s really nothing ordinary about them!) are the guardrails for a Christian life. When we are disciplined and diligent about keeping our noses in Scripture, spending quality time in prayer with the Lord, and seeking out fellowship and wise counsel, we are better able to resist temptation and sin and to walk in holiness
On the very first day, we talked about being doers of the word, not just hearers. We don’t want to be like that person who can’t remember the reflection in the mirror as soon as we walk away. I don’t know about you, but I want to be changed. And change comes when I apply what I read in scripture in practical and intentional ways.
On day two, we learned how to hone our taste buds so that we can confess our sins completely. Yes, things like gossip or bad attitudes certainly need attention, but it’s the sneaky, lingering sins that have been hibernating for a long time that need to be dealt with. Sometimes they’re not obvious at first, so we need to spend careful time with the Lord to comb through the deeper, darker places.
Day three reminded us that our job here on earth is to show Jesus to the people who need Him. “There is no time!”
Day four taught us the importance of relentless and ruthless removal of the “weeds” from our hearts. Sometimes those are the hardest sins to uproot, but the alternative is too dire. Oh, how I want to flourish!
Yesterday pointed us to the hard-to-swallow truth of what it means to love our enemies. Be encouraged, friend -- God has given you the means to accomplish this, even when it seems insurmountable.
I will leave you with Psalm 139:23-24, which says:
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting!
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
You can do ALL of these things through Christ, who has given you the tools and strengthened you to do the work. And now I need to preach these words to myself.
PRAYER
Father, bless the people who have read this content this week. Instill in them a desire to go deeper with You, to be changed and transformed into the likeness of Your Son, and to walk in the freedom that comes as a result of grace.
Christa has been married to Greg for 25 years, and they have one son, Palmer, who is a junior in college. She loves women’s ministry, teaching art to homeschooled children, and whipping up fantastic recipes in her kitchen. If she could pack up her church family and move to coastal South Carolina… she’d do it in a heartbeat.
Are there other women in your life who could benefit from a daily dose of encouragement? Forward this email so they can click on this link to Subscribe to Daily Treasure to be better equipped to walk by faith on the pathway God has marked out for them.
Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.
