0380. WHAT HAVE I DONE?

WHAT HAVE I DONE?

Jer_8:6.

The divine complaint is, that no one seems so sensible of sin and guilt in His sight as to say, What have I done? All are so full of self-confidence that they feel no need of repentance. Is there not an urgent need of pressing this question now?

I. What have I Done with God? Is He not the Author and Preserver of my life? Have I been mindful of His goodness and thankful for His mercies? What place have I given Him in my thoughts?

II. What have I Done with Christ? He has been offered me as the gift of God. What have I done with Him? Have I accepted Him or rejected Him? Have I crowned Him with thorns or with honour and glory? Is His blood sprinkled on my heart or is it under my feet?

III. What have I Done with the Holy Spirit? Have I grieved Him by my unbelief? Have I turned a deaf ear to His entreaty, and hardened my heart against the melting influences of His presence? Have I received Him in all His fullness, or am I still doing despite to the Spirit of grace.

IV. What have I Done with the Warnings of Providence? In the day of adversity have I been led to "consider?" Have all my afflictions been sanctified? Has the loss of loved ones on earth drawn my affections more intently after the things that are above?

V. What have I Done with my Bible? Have I been reading it as God’s written message to my soul? Have I been using it as a lamp from Heaven to guide my footsteps thither? Have I made it the "Man of my counsel," and is its message hid in my heart? Have I openly confessed its truth, or am I ashamed of it?

VI. What have I Done with my Talents? My brain, my money, my time, and my tongue, have they been used for the glory of self, or for the glory of God? Have they been buried in the napkin of self-preservation, instead of used for the advancement of the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ?

VII. What have I Done with my Opportunities?

Have I taken advantage of my many God-given privileges, to hear His Word, to speak in His Name, to reprove, to rebuke, to exhort? Have I been more anxious to kill the time than to redeem it?

VIII. What have I Done with my Neighbours? Have I sought to take advantage of them, rather than be a blessing to them? Have I loved them as myself, or have I treated them as inferior creatures? Have I received of the saving grace of God, and have I treated those beside me as if I owed them nothing?

IX. What have I Done with the Inner Cry of my Own Need? Have I been conscious of the need of God’s forgiveness and deliverance from the power of sin, and yet have sought to stifle the voice? What have I done with my sense of weakness, powerlessness, and fruitlessness in living the Christian life? Have I sought comfort instead of confession, the pity of my fellow-believers instead of the power of the Holy Ghost? Are you among those of whom the Lord complains, that they do not repent saying, "What have I done?"

Autor: James Smith