Deceiving Ourselves by Dr. Paul Chappell

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Deceiving Ourselves

by Dr. Paul Chappell

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Revelation 3:17-18

I read a humorous story about a man who was loudly complaining to a store manager about his negative experience shopping there. He went on at some length about the failure of the staff to address his needs. Finally, running out of steam, he concluded by declaring that the company had to have a policy that only allowed them to hire complete idiots. To this final comment, the manager asked, “Sir, would you like an application?”

There are many times when we are quick to identify the problems of others while being blind to our own faults. We may think that we have things together, but sometimes that is a matter of self deception rather than honest evaluation. It is easy to listen to the voice of pride that tells us we are better than others. But it is far more valuable to listen to the Holy Spirit and the Bible when they show us where we still are missing the mark.

We all need honest friends who will help us identify areas of our lives where we need to improve. If we rely only on our own evaluation, we are likely to be mislead. In his famous poem "To a Louse, On Seeing One on a Lady's Bonnet at Church," Robert Burns described the progress of a louse crawling over the fancy lace of a rich lady's bonnet as she sat unaware of its presence on her head. He concluded (translated from the Habbie dialect of Scottish to modern English):

Oh, that God would give us the very smallest of gifts

To be able to see ourselves as others see us!

Today's Growth Principle: 

When we see ourselves as God does, we cast away pride and self confidence and rely fully on Him.