When
Joshua challenged the Hebrew people to be committed to serving God, he knew it
would require a thorough self-examination of their loyalty, which previously
had been questionable. Successful businesses maintain precise inventories to retain
profitable items while discontinuing those that do not justify their existence.
Plato, the Greek philosopher who lived
four hundred years before Christ, wrote, "The unexamined life is not worth
living," which means growth and maturity do not happen incidentally. Businesses
give employees personal evaluations to determine their progress, but self-examination
is just as important.
A
lesson from Balaam’s life in Numbers 23 has to do with failure to do a self-inventory.
When needed changes are avoided or side-stepped, a self-made crisis may not be
preventable. God closely examines us, as David realized in Psalm 17:3. "You
probe my heart and examine me." Thank God he does this so we can choose to
remain close to his heart and purpose.
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