Last week I shared about living grace-giving. As I was contemplating the verses of Matthew 7:1-6, I took some time do some journaling, to do some soul-searching. I spent time considering the planks and specks in my life, looking at my own sinfulness. It was hard, but let me share what I learned.

At first, I felt ashamed seeing so much of my sinfulness, and realizing how easily I overlook it. Seeing the sins of others is a lot easier than recognizing my own. The things that bug us most about others, are often things that we haven’t dealt with in our own hearts, within our own lives.

The Bible says that David prayed in Psalm 139:23-24 ESV,

“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!“

What an important prayer in light of the passages in Matthew about judging. How easy it is to overlook my shortcomings and find fault with others. How easy it is to place my own needs, whether they be emotional or material, ahead of others in order to get what I think I need or what I want.

In order to recognize the greatness of God’s grace, we must see the heaviness of our sins and the darkness of our own hearts.

Jeremiah 17:9 says,

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?“

How easily we deceive ourselves by:

▪︎ believing we are better than others

▪︎ harshly judging others

▪︎ manipulating people or circumstances so we get what we need or want.

Our pride and selfishness blind us to our own planks and specks. Thankfully the Lord wants to help us see our sinfulness.

The Lord desires to meet with you and I in His Word and speak into our hearts. Hurrying through the Scriptures often means missing out on Him showing us His Truths personalized for our own hearts. The reality of my deceitful heart and sinfulness is often overlooked as I rush by to get onto the next thing in life.

Learning to live grace-paced means taking extra time with Him in soul-searching and seeing what He has to show us and teach us.

It is hard to look at self and the sinfulness within. It is hard to hear the truth about why we do the things we do. Yet, the Lord wants our eyes to be opened. He wants to help us, He wants to lead us in repentance. The Lord doesn’t leave us in shame, instead He graciously brings us to the cross so we again see Christ’s love for us.

Psalm 130:3-4 tells us:

“If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.”

His grace is greater than all our sin!

I encourage you to take time to talk to Him. Read His Word and do a little soul-searching. The Lord will provide the light in the darkness to help you see the truth about yourself. You won’t be sorry that you did!

All praise and glory to Him who loves us so much that He continually helps us to grow in Christ-likeness through the sanctification process.

*Photo from Unsplash by Olivia Snow