3 Questions That Cause Spiritual Growth - The Crosswalk Devotional - June 19

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3 Questions That Cause Spiritual Growth
By Kelly Balarie

Bible Reading:
“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” –  Matthew 7:3-5 ESV

I clenched my hands. Clear as day, the issue was him. He was being stubborn. He wasn’t listening. He wasn’t being open to a different perspective.

But was I…? 

Being open…?
Listening...?
Hearing what He was saying…?

Not really…

Jesus addressed this sort of situation when he said, “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” (Matt. 7:3-5 ESV)

My husband and I have a phrase for this sort of finger-pointing. It’s called “You spot it, you got it.”

Meaning, if I spot my husband being stubborn, I’ve likely got stubbornness too.
If I spot that He isn’t listening, I should wonder whether I’ve got earphones on my ears also.
If I spot an inability to understand another perspective, I am wise to ask myself if I’ve got that same inability to listen.

We spot it, we got it!

When we consider that what we judge in others may be what is lurking inside of us, true spiritual progress happens. Pride is healed. Humility comes. A deeper need for God surfaces. Blind spots are seen for what they are. God’s grace is absolutely required.

What blind spots may exist within you? Let’s dive deeper…

3 Exploratory Questions to Grow Closer to God

Ask yourself:

1. What patterns follow me from relationship to relationship, job to job, or situation to situation? How might I blame on people, predicaments, or pressures, something God may want to heal within me?

Take a moment and reflect. Do not allow shame to convict you. Instead, allow the hard reality of truth to set you free to the life-giving power of God to help you. Pray. Ask. Seek the Lord. Repent, if needed. 

2. How do I demand sympathy or grace from others to justify where I am? Do I give others the same sympathy and grace that I expect? 

Sometimes, we have stories to keep us safe. We have a long list of reasons why we do what we do. We expect others to coddle us, instead of realizing God has more for us. Seeing the truth helps us build better relationships in the future.

3. Who do I keep needing to forgive? How do I gain personal sympathy by not forgiving them? If I have forgiven, have I asked God to forgive me, for my bitterness or resentment? And, most of all, have I forgiven myself?

Often, we forgive others but fail to ask God to forgive us for anger, bitterness, or thinking bad thoughts about others. Have we done this? Also, the hardest person to forgive is - ourselves. 

Additionally, when we have forgiven, but it doesn’t feel like we have, the issue is often not that we haven’t forgiven them; we are still angry. The issue is often that we are still angry at ourselves. 

Take a second and forgive yourself, too.

The bottom line? To see the truth of what we haven’t seen often sets us free.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

What did these questions stir up in you? How will you change as a result? What will it look like to walk a new path?

How did today’s devotional speak to you? Share your thoughts in the Crosswalk Devotional discussion.

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/FotoDuets 

Kelly uplifts believers with boosts of faith; be encouraged weekly by getting Kelly’s blog posts by email. Kelly, a cheerleader of faith, is a blogger, national speaker, and author of Take Every Thought Captive, Rest Now, Battle Ready, and Fear Fighting. Kelly loves seeing the power of prayer in action. She loves seeing the expression on women’s faces when they realize – their God is faithful! Kelly’s work has been featured on The Today Show, CBN’s 700 Club, Relevant and Today’s Christian Woman. 

Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com! 

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