Making Known

For Friday, February 2, 2007
Proverbs 20:11

Even a child makes himself known by his acts,
by whether his conduct is pure and upright.

How do we "make known" what is in our hearts? How do we reveal our faith? By our behavior.

But one can deceive through his actions. One can pretend to be pure and upright. Not a child. He invariably gives himself away even if he wants to deceive. And not even an adult, not if he is observed closely. He will give himself away as well, for he is unable to constantly keep up the pretense. Those whom he fools are those not paying attention.

The bottom line of this proverb, as with other scriptures on the same theme, is that the condition of the heart is revealed through how one lives. When we protest, "What you see is not really me," we are deceiving ourselves. The burst of anger is not produced by outside causes; it springs up from within. As Jesus said, "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts," etc., etc. (cf Mark 7:14-23).

It is fine to work on conduct, but we will make the most progress by being keen observers of our conduct and thereby look into our hearts. My behavior is my best diagnostic tool for knowing my heart. Don't go by feeling. Go by what is observable.

Abominable Measures

For Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Proverbs 20:10

Unequal weights and unequal measures
are both alike an abomination to the Lord.

Cheating customers is an abomination to the Lord; so is cheating clients and cheating anyone to gain an advantage. What is particularly offensive here is cheating through means that of themselves signify fair play. What can be trusted if we abuse the very seals and symbols that are meant to guarantee good faith?

Cheating is wrong, but its offense is heightened when scam artists take extra care to give a pretense of fairness - presenting false credentials, showing false information, etc. They prey on the poor and the elderly, anyone whom they can take advantage of through their deceit. They are the false advertisers who suffer no twinge of conscience for making fools of others.

They are just like us when we use unequal weights and unequal measures to justify ourselves before the Lord. For that is what we do when we measure ourselves against our neighbors in order to appear righteous before the Lord. The behavior of our neighbors is a false scale, but even then we will use false measures by which to judge them.

How fitting this proverbs follows the previous one: Who can say, "I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin"? They are many who dare to make such a claim. But to do so requires unequal weights and measures, so then even while trying to prove one's purity of heart, the individual is sinning.

Whatever measuring tool we want to use, understand that the Lord measures with perfect accuracy. We will be weighed on true scales. We will be measured with a true measuring stick. How then will we compare? Here is one way to measure what is in your heart. When you hear such a question, do you begin to think of ways to improve your chances, or do you turn to the One who alone can justify?

Who?

For January 29, 2007
Proverbs 20:9

Who can say, "I have made my heart pure;
I am clean from my sin"?

Let us give thanks now that there is one man who in his human nature was able to say this - Jesus Christ. And because he was able to do so, he qualified to be our sacrificial lamb who made atonement for our sins. Because his heart was pure, he was able to purify our hearts. Because he was always clean, he was able to cleanse us from sin. His sacrifice once and for all removed the guilt of our sins, so that though we cannot claim we have made our hearts pure and cleansed ourselves from sin, we can nevertheless come before our God with hearts that have been purified and cleansed by our Lord. He was not ashamed to call us his brothers and sisters; he is now our sympathetic High Priest who is heard by his Father as he intercedes for us.

All praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ who alone could answer this question with a resounding, "Here I am; I have come to do your will." Because he did, you may now "with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that you may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).