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Home Search Topics Contact About | Know Thyself2 Corinthians 13:5: Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
We do not truly know ourselves until and unless we know and believe what God knows about us. Asaph, one of the Psalmists knew much about the evil nature of others but he did not know the severity of their judgment or of his own evil nature until He came into the presence of God. Psalms 73:17: Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
When he came into the presence of God Asaph learned about the horrible destiny of evil men and that He deserved the same fate, but that God was merciful to him and would always be. He learned that he had a special relationship with the Lord that the evil ones did not have. Psalms 73:18-19: Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.19 How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. Psalms 73:22-28: So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. 23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand. 24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. 26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. 27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. 28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works. When we have learned from God and believed what He says about the depravity of men, including ourselves, and the horrible fate we all deserve, we will eagerly receive Jesus and His forgiveness. Only when we have Jesus in our hearts can we truly know ourselves and the wickedness of our flesh as He does. Having Jesus and His salvation will give us grateful hearts AND the same concern for the salvation of others that He has. 2 Peter 3:9: The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Two of the most significant characteristics of believers are gratitude to God for their relationship with Him and a desire that others would become saved and have their own relationship with Him. If you do not have those two characteristics at least some of the time, there is something desperately wrong. The Lord has taught me two very important things about myself. One, I am a malcontent at cross-purposes with Him when I am not grateful for my salvation and when I am not concerned for others. Two, when I am grateful for my salvation and concerned for the salvation of others I am what God wants me to be and I am at peace with Him and I have the same goals that He has. Are you grateful for your relationship with the Lord and are you actively encouraging others to enter into a wonderful relationship with Him? Am I? |
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