Crumbled from Within

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Today's reading, titled Crumbled From Within, was written by Cindy Hess Casper.

When I was a teenager, my mom painted a mural on our living room wall, which stayed there for several years. It showed an ancient Greek scene of a ruined temple with white columns lying on their sides, a crumbling fountain, and a broken statue. As I looked at the Hellenistic architecture that had once held great beauty, I tried to imagine what had destroyed it.

I was curious, especially when I began studying about the tragedy of once great and thriving civilizations that had decayed and crumbled from within. This sinful depravity and wanton destruction we see around us today can be troubling. It's natural for us to try to explain it by pointing to people and nations that have rejected God.

But shouldn't we be casting our gaze inwardly as well? Scripture warns us about hypocrites when we call out others to turn from their sinful ways without also taking a deeper look inside our own hearts. Psalm 32 challenges us to see and confess our own sin. It's only when we recognize and confess our personal sin that we can experience freedom from guilt and the joy of true repentance. As we rejoice in knowing that God offers us complete forgiveness, we can share that hope with others who are also struggling with sin. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Psalm 32 verses 1-5 and Matthew chapter 7 verses 1-5. Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them, and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

For day and night your hand was heavy on me, my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

And now Matthew chapter 7 verses 1-5. Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye, when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite!

First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Let's pray. Father God, we thank you for the gift of your forgiveness that eliminates all the guilt we carry over our sin. Help us first to examine our own hearts before we concern ourselves with the sins of others. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening. My name is Rachelle Traube, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.