093013 Motes

John Owen wrote, "Most would rather hear of the doctrines of grace, the pardon of sin, and the free love of God than break the fallow ground of their hearts and see to the weeds and briars that grow thee, though this is the only way to come to a true knowledge of grace."  (Indwelling Sin in Believers)

Self-examination is not something that comes naturally to either reprobate or redeemed.  Certainly we avoid what we might call the "big" sins but we do that to avoid the unpleasant and public consequences more than we might do it for the glory of God.  But as there are NO distinctions made between sins the fact that we are so prone to make distinctions tell us a great deal about the condition of our souls.

It would seem, at least in my experience, that it is so very hard to take the time and make the effort to find the mote in my eye, much less the log.  Logs I can for the most part avoid.  But this makes me wonder if in this teaching Jesus was not trying to tell us that our personal motes are in actuality logs.  We will nit-pick another's sins while finding a comfortable means of avoiding doing the same for ourselves.

I would challenge us to take an accounting of our motes.  One Puritan writer, his name fails me, tells us the the "small" sins we commit and dismiss are more heinous than the (supposed) great sins.  The reason for this is that we commit the "lesser" sins with greater impunity thereby bringing greater insult to the glory of God and greater injury to our souls condition.

I would suggest that the apathy that is so prevalent in our age is now a part of our faith.  We carve out a comfortable harmatology (theology of sin) and do all we can to abide there regardless of the effort needed to maintain the self-deception.

I was talking with a friend who had just taken a very expensive vacation and was struck by the phrase, "I earned it, I deserved to take a break."  What distressed me was what appeared to be his utter disregard for the fact that he had earned nothing.  Though he labors diligently in his profession he seems to have no understaaning that everything he has is a gift, a blessing, a mercy from the heart of God.  Nor did he seem to realize that his attitude expressed a certain selfishness concerning this merciful provision.

These are the motes we need to seek to root out.  Where do we fail to keep God's providence and His intent for that providence?  How do we get to a point where we even think there is a possessive "mine" to any of God's merciful providence?  Yet, I - we do that so very often.  How do we experientially repent of such subtle sins as this?
Self-examination - diligent and disciplined - is demanded.  Certainly as His child I am secure in my salvation but am I faithful in it?  Is He indeed the sovereign Lord to whom all things belong and for whom all things should be done?  Or is He a co-sovereign Lord who at some point abdicates to me and allows me to reign over what He alone has provided.

Yes, we may have to work terribly hard in and for what He provides.  Long ours and hard work may be our daily lot but regardless of any effort or sacrifice on our part it is all from His providence and it is all, always His.  It never - ever- becomes ours.  This is a "mote" that is truly a log.  This is that one drop of poison that poisons the whole cup.

Check your "log!" 012313

Matthew 6:24 ESV
"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

We've had a look at the love of money and how it can be so subtle and easy to miss.  And that led me to greed.  Yeah, ouch!

See like to think of greed as we do avarice.  If it's not big and obvious and abusive then it must not be there.  Right?  Well not really.

See, we have been somewhat numbed to sin as sin with no degrees or shades.  We have actually come to a place where we talk about "little" sins and "big" sins.  We have even come to find comfort in opposing and fighting some sins while conveniently ignoring others.

Oh, this is nothing "new" but in considering the passage in Matthew I was struck that it is a clear either/or with no buffer room at all.  So, if I am a "little greedy," or a little mammonish I'm on the wrong side of the line.

Yes, we all sin.  But we must keep the following in mind AND heart:

1 John 1:8-10 ESV
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

We will not cease to battle sin this side of heaven but it is a battle we must keep clearly in view.  We must faithfully seek the Spirit's conviction, faithfully confess our sins and faithfully repent - knowing His promise of forgiveness is realized through the blessing of conviction and repentance.

Consider also:

Luke 6:41-42 ESV
Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? [42] How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.

Our sin should be "logs" to us.  Our brothers' sins but specks.  God did not forgive me my brothers' sins but my own.  He did not die for my brothers' sin to redeem me but died for my sins.

I have no "specks" only logs.  If I have grown to see them as specks I am well and sadly deceived.  But, being received is not sin, just it's "on ramp.". If I do not seek/pray to discover my decievedness then I sin.  If I ignore my deception when it is exposed, I sin.