Clean in Our Own Eyes.

     It is easy to fall into the trap of self justification. We look at our lives and try to put a spin on all of our conduct. It is almost unbelievable what we can convince ourselves of.
     Mankind has this ability to convince himself that his conduct is not bad. He can find excuses to justify bad behavior, even to make wrong behavior right in his own eyes.
     Jeremiah said that the heart of man is deceptive (Jeremiah 17:9). We find it so easy to deceive ourselves.
     Notice what the Lord says in the next verse however. He is the one who searches the heart and tests the mind. It is He who will repay us according to our deeds (Jeremiah 17:10).
     We are told in Proverbs 16:2 that mankind looks at his ways and considers his life clean, according to his standards and beliefs. Like I stated earlier, we have this knack of explaining things away, and excusing our sin so that we feel that we are clean and acceptable to God.
     This verse goes on to tell us however, that it is God who weighs our motives! He searches our hearts and knows what is inside of us. He sees the evil intentions that we claim are not there.
     Even the Apostle Paul understood that although he was not aware of sin in his life, ultimately it was God who examined His heart and knew all about him (1 Cor 4:4).
     You may fool yourself into believing all is well with your soul, but you will never fool God! Be honest with God, and be honest with yourself!
     You must be born again!