Weak Spots and Blind Spots

About two weeks ago I got a request from a friend. He had been reading a book and as a result was looking for some help is assessing his life as a Christian. He was asking for someone to look at his life and see what might be going on that he didn't see. To look for areas in which as a faithful follower of Jesus he needed to make some changes.  He wrote this in his note:

"So that is why I am writing to you, to see if you can offer any advice on where I need correction.  All of us have blind spots. It seems it's a lot easier to see sins in others than in ourselves.  So please let me know what you see in my life where I need to improve.  Please be quite honest and don't worry about me being offended."

In an attempt to answer his question I thought over what I know of him, of his faith, and of his life. I also thought about many of the things the Bible has to say about how God's people are to live.  As far as the Bible goes that would include things such as the Ten Commandments, the Great Commandment, the Great Commission, the "fruits of the Spirit," as well the preceding passage in Galatians.  One of the books I have been reading lately is Proverbs, so that, quite naturally, came into my thinking.

But here is the curious thing. My friend asked about his blind spots, things that he couldn’t see clearly about himself.  As I thought about the biblical areas above I was confronted, time and again, with my own weak spots.  Areas where I thought about myself and the various roles in my life, such as follower of Jesus, husband, father, pastor and friend.  In doing so I found so many things within myself that could be characterized as sloppy, second-rate, incomplete.  Maybe not everything, but much more than enough.  You get the picture.

It is curious the way the hand of God's providence works sometimes. My friend, seeking what would hopefully be godly counsel, has opened my eyes to some things I need to be dealing with.

As Paul brings his first letter to the Thessalonians to a close he writes:

"Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

That idea of being sanctified, or as I often phrase it as I preach, being shaped more and more in the image of Christ, does not happen in one single, powerful action.  It happens bit by bit. Sometimes easily and sometimes with great difficulty and hardship.  It begins at the moment of our conversion from unbelief to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And it continues until the drawing of our last breath and coming into the direct presence of our Lord.

I am thankful for the opportunity to consider my friend's life and perhaps give him some constructive help. But I am more thankful for the way that God used him to do some work on my own life. Amen.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.