Put yourselves to the test and judge yourselves, to find out whether you are living in faith. Surely you know that Christ Jesus is in you?—unless you have completely failed.
(2Co 13:5)
We are (hopefully) aware of our sins. But I have discovered that I tend to focus on a few sins that are consistently troubling me and missing others. That's the beauty and facility of self-examination. It is a dedicated, focused, intentional thing and not some cursory activity.
I have not trouble seeing my pride and idolatry or even lust for that matter - they are glaringly obvious. But I miss or avoid many others.
An example is found in Matthew 12:36-37:
"You can be sure that on the Judgment Day you will have to give account of every useless word you have ever spoken. Your words will be used to judge you—to declare you either innocent or guilty."
(Mat 12:36-37) GNB
"But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
(Mat 12:36-37) NASB
The word translated "useless" or "careless it the Greek word ̓argos meaning free from labor, at leisure
or lazy, shunning the labor which one ought to perform.
The implied imperative is that we should actually "labor" before we speak. I tend to yell at clumsy drivers when I am in the car. My wife cringes when I do this. It's careless/useless, sinful. I give no thought to what's in my mind and heart I just let fly. This is not good.
What about OMG (Oh my God). There's a show on TV called Clean House where a team goes into a badly cluttered home and straightens it out. Then they "reveal" what they have done to the owners who have been away at a hotel. Almost to a person when the finished work is revealed they say OMG, never thinking about what they're saying.
We all have little saying we use to express pleasure or disdain and these need to be examined for, well, holiness, usefulness, carefulness.
But careless speech is just one of the "sins" we rarely think about. Our thought life is an area where we are remiss - we fail to:
We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, (2Co 10:5)
I know that this used of this verse is a stretch but I think the principle is sound in the instance. We need to think about our thinking.
And what about our feelings. they can get pretty nasty as well but we have thm and we rarely take the time to examine them or their source - Why do I feel _____?
Self examination is a critical component of our /Christina walk and we need to take it seriously. I am read the journals of David Brainerd an missionary in the 1800 and am convicted by his sensitivity to his sinfulness. Of course he was of a melancholy disposition and that played a part but he really "discovered" his vileness in the light of Christ. If it's OK to envy good things, I envy him.
We need to take the time and really examine our Walk.
What about our use of what God has given us? Do we use it for our pleasure and gratification (or measuring up to others) or do we use it to bless the Church and the needy. Is your 10% the best you can do - maybe for you it is but for most of us we could do a lot better.
In my years as a Leadership consultant the most difficult thing I had to teach people was how to say "No," when "NO," was the right answer. How about saying no to ourselves. We see it we want is was expend recourses to get it. We don't say "No," to ourselves - hence we sin when we squander God's provision.
Jesus was very clear; "Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal. For your heart will always be where your riches are. (Mat 6:19-21)
Self-examination has to be broader and wider and deeper than we usually do it. It takes time and effort but how can one repent of a sin that one is only vaguely aware of it=f at all
But then. some of us don't want to examine ourselves. To do so would lead to conclusions we are not comfortable with.
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