Maybe it's me. Daily Devotional - August 3rd, 2009

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 20-21, Jeremiah 24, Romans 12

Have you ever left your clothes in the washing machine too long? All day long you think to yourself, what is that smell? Until finally you take a moment to lift your sleeve to your nose and smell yourself. You realize...oh, maybe it’s me.

Why is it that we don’t first smell ourselves before pointing the finger somewhere else? It is in our human nature to think of ourselves more highly than we ought. However, Romans advices us not to fall into this trap.
　
"For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another." Romans 12:3-5

This passage is addressing the body of Christ, and I can see why that would be needed. Sometimes we covet each others positions in the body. A toe wants to be a finger and thinks it could do a better job! The finger wants to be the mouth and is convinced it would surely be a better speaker! I have been guilty in the past of pointing the finger at a shortcoming rather than trying to be a part of the solution. Were we called to be spectators or participants in the body? A spectator is like the backseat driver that always knows a better way to drive, or the football fan who rants and jeers at the players but has never played a football game in his life.

Sitting on the sidelines might make the team look bigger, but it certainly doesn’t help them win the game. We should be active participants, humble yet confident in our position in the body of Christ. I have been challenged lately to not think of myself so highly, especially if I am not becoming a part of the solution. Matthew 7:4-5 tells us to first take the plank out of our own eye before we try to address someone else’s plank.

If I see something going wrong on the field (or in the body), what is my response? Am I trying to help my teammates succeed, or am I just a bench-warmer jeering to another bench-warmer? If I feel something funny in the atmosphere...maybe it’s me. If I sense some negativity from someone...maybe it’s me. If my day isn’t going like I had hoped...maybe it’s me. If I always seem to have unmet expectations...maybe it’s me! If there is something that I think could be done better, have I considered that it might be a gap I was meant to fill? Maybe it’s me! What about you? Are you a participant or a spectator? Have you been wondering what that smell is without taking time to consider...maybe it’s you?

Thanks for reading and responding,
Melissa Miller

Post a Comment - Questions for reflection and response:
1. Can you recall a time when you decided to become a problem-solver?
2. Have you ever been faced with a critical spectator? What did that situation teach you?

Tomorrow’s reading: 2 Samuel 22, Jeremiah 25, Romans 13-14