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Do We Really See Ourselves?

"You are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?" - Habakkuk 1:13

This verse is somewhat difficult for me to fully comprehend but AW Tozer offers this insight below:
"I must come to the point where I view iniquity as God views it, and treat it as God treats it.  I am not thinking of looking on other people's iniquity, but on the iniquity that haunts the corridors of my own soul.  It is one thing to point on iniquity in someone else's life, and tell him what God thinks of it; but it is another thing altogether to point out the iniquity in my own life and understand that God cannot look on that iniquity." - AW Tozer

You see, God cannot stand the sight of evil.  We often picture evil as thieves, adulterers, murderers, and other criminals.  And while doing so we neglect to see the faults in our lives, the evil and wrong inside of us.  We are all sinners (Romans 3:23) and have darkness in us that we often times refuse to look at and see.

And during these times of political correctness and the values that are being fought for on the national stage, we often are very quick, and sometimes too harsh, on attacking the wrong we see in others.  I am in no way saying that Christians should not be standing up for what the Bible says about the wrongness of abortion, sins of sexuality, and other things; but I am saying that we cannot approach others with a "holier than thou" attitude and expect solutions.  These answers must be given in love and humility knowing that we too have our own faults.

I cannot read and write this without examining myself and my own life.  I believe that my worst sin is pride.  Yes, I've done some good things and I do believe that I would have an impressive resume of achievements per say (See, I told you so).  But I also know what happens when I get too many pats on the back.  I get comfortable and cocky.  I begin to think that work is easy, that staying in shape is easy, that ministry is easy, that life is easy; and worst of all that I AM good at it.  I must be reminded and remind myself that if I can do all things through Christ, that I can do nothing in and of myself.  HE MUST be my source of strength.  I want to be successful at everything and able to always shoulder the load, but there are times when I can't.  I hate those times, but they are often when God is reigning me back in and reminding me that he is the worker and I am merely the tool. 

Tozer's prayer closed like this, "O Heavenly Father, help me to view my sin from Thy point of view.  Do not allow me to underestimate the horror of my sin.  Let me never become adjusted to the error of my way, but may I lean heavily upon Thy grace.  Amen"

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