Self First

July/Holiness

26 July 2010

When is one capable of bearing witness on behalf of the souls of others? When he is capable first of bearing witness on behalf of his own. When is he capable of correcting others? When he can first correct himself.

- Colman mac Beognai, Aipgitir Chrabaid (Irish, 7th century)

Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

- Proverbs 4.26, 27

In the Christian life we are called to put others first. Except in this one area. Before we invest too much energy in commenting on or correcting the walk of others, we need to make sure our own walk is what it ought to be.

The Scriptures exhort us to a careful self-watch, as in Solomon's advice to his son. We need to pay attention to the way we use our time, conduct our conversations, carry out our duties, even enjoy our leisure. Are we seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness even in these? Or are certain parts of our lives "off limits" for Kingdom business?

To "ponder the path of your feet" is an ongoing responsibility. The KJV of Ephesians 5.15-17 calls us to "walk circumspectly," that is, paying attention to the whole horizon of your life, making sure that all you do is in order to advance the righteous and peacable and joyous reign of our Lord Jesus Christ. What a challenge!

We are called to be witnesses for the Lord at every moment of our lives, but we won't fulfill this high and holy calling if we aren't vigilant about seeking the Kingdom at every moment, in all our relationships, roles, and responsibilities. How do you carry out this exhortation to "ponder the path of your feet"? Do you have a soul friend to help you in this? Do you plan your time carefully and review it frequently?

If we offer the moments of our lives as offerings to the Lord, seeking His wisdom for how best to use our time (Ps. 90.12), we will be more likely to honor and glorify Him in all we do, and to bring His blessings to the people in our Personal Mission Field, day after day.

July Exercise Part 4: For the rest of this month let's work on developing a plan, following the free the brochure, Called to Be Witnesses and the My Personal Mission Field brochure, for pondering our paths more purposefully, and with greater Kingdom results.

Today in ReVision: On Being Still - Is this even possible?

Also at the website, we have begun our next Kingdom Civics series on the "Founding Documents" of the Kingdom, and Every Thought CaptiveSatan, Bound (soon to be a Waxed Tablet book!). features the next installment of

This Month's Download: Called to Be Witnesses - Give a copy to your friends and begin talking together about how you can become more serious about piety.

We hope you'll visit our book store and check out the resources available to help you live the Christian life. And let us hear from you.

T. M. Moore, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.