Tuesday, May 4th, 2021

We see stories every day of politicians and people on the media slinging arguments, accusations, and sometimes insults at each other in an effort to persuade others to their positions. It’s easy to line up behind those we agree with and join in. But we are not called by God to thoughtlessly choose sides and act with a tribal mentality. One of the things that separates mature and immature belief is self-scrutiny, or the ability and desire to look inwards, to measure how we, ourselves, act in alignment with what we profess with our mouths. Jesus called for self-scrutiny, something deciding lacking in the hypocritical religious leaders of his day, saying, “See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.” If we spend more time criticizing others than reflecting on ourselves, the light we wish to shine may not be as bright as we think. Today, reflect on what you believe, how you live it out, and how you treat others because of it.

“See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.” — Luke 11:35 NIV