“Men, What Are You Saying to Yourself?”

Luke 15:17, “HE began to think about what HE had done. HE said to HIMSELF…” (NLV)

Now, if you’re a dad, somewhere down through the years you’ve heard the command (that sounds like a question or request...but it’s not). It’s the words, "Daddy, would you come and play with me?" As a mom, I can still hear those echoes from when our kids were little. However, a recent doctor’s appointment made me recall those words because of a dad and son. The dad was preoccupied reading his Sunday newspaper - you know, one of the big ones that comes in volumes. Well, his little guy kept tapping on the newspaper and asking his Daddy to play with him. But dad kept giving him little things to do to keep him occupied while he continued to read. Finally, after the last interruption, dad tried a different approach so he would be able to finish his paper. He tore out a page that had a map of the world on it and he ripped it into pieces. He said, "Look, put this puzzle together. And as soon as you've got it finished, I promise I'll come and play." Two minutes later, junior was back tapping on dad's newspaper again. "I'm finished," he said. And there it was - the whole map of the world, together on the floor! I was as shocked as dad was. Then he said, "Son, how did you put that together so fast?" Junior replied: "It was easy, daddy. There was a picture of a man on the other side. When I put the man together right, the world went right!” In my head, all I could think was, “out of the mouths of babes!”

And as comical and simple even as that may be, truth is, many are in a particular season of life that’s just like that. Many pieces to the puzzle, scattered everywhere, but if only you could get one piece in place, the rest would take care of themselves. And honestly, right now, maybe there's just a lot of pieces you’re working with at the moment: financial, health, mental, emotional, spiritual, marital, parental, work, church, family. And for most, that list gets longer and longer by the day. For some there’s that inner struggle with who you are and why you're here, what are you supposed to be doing, or where you're going. It's a time of confusion and frustration, maybe even some despair. 

You've been pretty focused on your battles and on your problems. But you may be missing one piece of the puzzle, the baseline issue really. It’s what that little boy said to his dad that may be a key to getting things together for you, “…When I put the man together right, the world went right!”

There's a helpful picture of many of us in a story that Jesus told, recorded in Luke 15, beginning with verse 11. It's the story of the Prodigal Son; a guy who was the missing piece to his own life puzzle. Take a listen to his story: 

Luke 15:11-24, “And Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons.  The younger son said to his father, ‘Father, let me have the part of the family riches that will be coming to me.’ Then the father divided all that he owned between his two sons.  Soon after that the younger son took all that had been given to him and went to another country far away. There he spent all he had on wild and foolish living.  When all his money was spent, he was hungry. There was no food in the land.  He went to work for a man in this far away country. His work was to feed pigs.  He was so hungry he was ready to eat the outside part of the ears of the corn the pigs ate because no one gave him anything. “HE BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT WHAT HE HAD DONE. HE SAID TO HIMSELF, ‘My father pays many men who work for him. They have all the food they want and more than enough. I am about dead because I am so hungry.  I will get up and go to my father. I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am not good enough to be called your son. But may I be as one of the workmen you pay to work?”’  “The son got up and went to his father. While he was yet a long way off, his father saw him. The father was full of loving-pity for him. He ran and threw his arms around him and kissed him.  The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am not good enough to be called your son.’  But the father said to the workmen he owned, ‘Hurry! Get the best coat and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet.  Bring the calf that is fat and kill it. Let us eat and be glad.  For my son was dead and now he is alive again. He was lost and now he is found. Let us eat and have a good time.’ (NLV) 

The portion I pray encourages my brothers is this, “When he came to his senses" - or "when he came to himself". The New Living Version says it like this: “…HE BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT WHAT HE HAD DONE. HE SAID TO HIMSELF…” That young man probably thought of every possible reason for his predicament except the real one - HIMSELF. That's where your answer will begin as well.

Truth is, all of us have a tendency to lay blame for how our lives have turned out…except laying that blame on our own front door, and better still, in our own lap! Because then we would have to take accountability and responsibility for our choices, consequences and change. Which means, you’d have to get past what your spouse or your kids or your parents or your coworkers, church folks, or other people have done or said. And instead, look in the mirror and clear up the vision of the man you distorted. 

James 1:22-24, “Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.” (MSG)

And haven’t you done that long enough? How many additional years are you going to see your flaws in your reflection in the mirror, point them out, but never acknowledge them enough to fix them? It’s not that you don’t know what to do, it’s that you haven’t done it! And what's the danger in that? Well, the Bible says, "Remember, it is SIN to know what you ought to do and then not do it." (James 4:17 NLT)

Could it be that you're the puzzle that needs putting together – and more than that, you are the missing piece to the puzzle? The prodigal son never lies to himself. He doesn’t make any attempt to retell his story in a more favorable light. He doesn’t point fingers, accuse anyone else, or lay blame. “…HE BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT WHAT HE HAD DONE. HE SAID TO HIMSELF…”

As comical as it may sound, maybe today is a good day to have a little talk with yourself…and Your Father! The prodigal son did and so did David:

“Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record. Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in Your laundry. I know how bad I’ve been; my sins are staring me down. You’re the One I’ve violated, and You’ve seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. You have all the facts before You; whatever You decide about me is fair. I’ve been out of step with You for a long time, in the wrong since before I was born. What You’re after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life. Soak me in Your laundry and I’ll come out clean, scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life. Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing. Don’t look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health. God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. Don’t throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails! Give me a job teaching rebels your ways so the lost can find their way home. Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God, and I’ll sing anthems to Your life-giving ways. Unbutton my lips, dear God; I’ll let loose with Your praise. Going through the motions doesn’t please You, a flawless performance is nothing to You. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don’t for a moment escape God’s notice…” (Psalm 51:1-17 MSG)

Like the Prodigal Son and David, are you yet ready to acknowledge that the problem and the answer just may be YOU?

What I love about the prodigal son and David is that neither tried to make their mess look good. Neither put a, ‘if they didn’t; or if she would have; or if he had only’, spin on it. Nope…God it’s ME and only ME. It’s the way I’ve handled my spouse, my children, my finances, my health, my education, my missed opportunities, my ministry. It’s the way I handled the pressure, the challenges, the struggles, the temptation, the sin. I was the one to pick up the bottle, to pop the pills, to smoke, to lie, to cheat, to steal. I was the one to allow the intimidation, fear, laziness and procrastination to hinder me. I was the one who didn’t give it greater effort. I was the one who didn’t try. I messed up, I made the mistake, I got it wrong, it was my fault. “…HE BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT WHAT HE HAD DONE. HE SAID TO HIMSELF…”

That’s not weak or depressing, it’s honest. And that honesty will lead you back to your Father who is waiting to help you. Jeremiah 33:3, “This is God’s Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as God: ‘Call to Me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.” (MSG) Your Father is waiting patiently by the phone of prayer, when are you going to call so He can answer?

As it is, there are some prayers that He loves you enough to answer, Even Before You Finish Praying! Isaiah 65:24, “I will answer their prayers before they finish praying.” (CEV) The Living Bible says it like this: “I will answer them before they even call to Me. While they are still talking to Me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!” (TLB)

That’s how much your Father loves you! So, what are you waiting for? Not even the prodigal son with all of his mess could cause his father to love him any less. And likewise, there’s nothing you’ve done that could make your Father love you any less. His love does not work on a merit system. You don’t deserve it, nor do you work for it. He loves you regardless of anything. So let today be the day that you look in the mirror and began to work on the flaws you see in your own reflection.

Think about it: No one ever held up an incomplete puzzle and said yay, it’s done! Look at how beautiful it is! No, the puzzle needs to have all the pieces in their rightful places to complete the full picture. And you need to do the same for your life. You are your own missing piece. And much like that father and son in the doctor’s office, if you would simply get the ‘man’ right, the world would get right too. Maybe the only thing that’s really missing from your marriage is getting You right. Maybe the only thing missing from your dreams being fulfilled is getting You right. Maybe the promotion would come as soon as You get You right. Maybe when you become a better steward over the finances you already have, increase would come, as soon as You get You right!

So many are walking around as just a shell of a man. And all because they won’t put in the needed effort to fix and fill the inner man. Get the man right, and the world will be right. But you have to get the Man right first! And that will take work! Which means you have to put on your overalls, work-boots and strap on your tool belt! This will require some demolition and remodeling and rebuilding and no construction site has ever looked pretty! So, you’re not going to enjoy some of the ugly parts of you that you have to acknowledge in order to improve.

For instance, can you imagine repairing a house, but skipping over the area that’s termite infested? What will be the point of ignoring an ugly area, while beautifying the rest? Eventually that ugly will come to the surface and sink everything you constructed! Or dare we ignore the bird’s nest that they have so comfortably built in the attic?! Or should we just not go in the basement if we don’t want to see the rats in hiding? In a nutshell: It’s dangerous to only work on the areas of your life that you ‘like’. If you are to be a better you, then it will require you being very honest with and about the real you! Maybe your tempter, attitude, and belittling and condescending ways need a hammer and nail! Maybe your critical speech and pessimistic outlook could use a fresh coating of kindness. Maybe your bad choices need a light change. Maybe your lack of trust, your insecurity, your fears, your childhood issues left unresolved for years, is the actual cause, and not everybody else. “…HE BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT WHAT HE HAD DONE. HE SAID TO HIMSELF…”

This is where you need to find yourself today, in Room A giving yourself a Self-Examination!

Matthew 23:26, “You [spiritually] blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the plate [EXAMINE AND CHANGE YOUR INNER SELF TO CONFORM TO GOD’S PRECEPTS], so that the outside [your public life and deeds] may be clean also.” (AMP);

1 Corinthians 11:28, “But a person must [prayerfully] EXAMINE HIMSELF [and his relationship to Christ], and only when he has done so should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” (AMP);

2 Corinthians 13:5, “TEST AND EVALUATE YOURSELVES to see whether you are in the faith and living your lives as [committed] believers. EXAMINE YOURSELVES [not me]! OR DO YOU NOT RECOGNIZE THIS ABOUT YOURSELVES [by an ongoing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you – unless indeed you fail the test and are rejected as counterfeit?” (AMP)

YOU have to work on YOU if YOU want to see a better YOU! 

Treat your self-examination like your annual physicals. It’s vital to make sure you go to the doctor and get yourself checked out Before anything happens. Likewise, you need to check yourself out daily [attitudes; motives; intentions; behavior; speech; heart] Before anything happens! Make all the necessary adjustments to make your life better.

And you may not like this, but also listen to what others say about you. And to be clear, listen to those who have your best interest at heart. Some of the people you think are just nagging you are really trying to help you. People who call you on the carpet about the way you act, talk, dress, behave, should be heard. If all you have in your inner-circle is people patting you on the back, but none kicking you in the butt, you’re in trouble. Allow people in your circle that don’t agree with everything you say and do; allow people who will tell you to your face that you’re wrong; allow people who will chastise, correct and rebuke you; allow people who will not allow you to live any kind of way (in public or in private); allow people who prick your heart when they know you’re living beneath a better version of yourself; allow people who disagree with you; allow people who don’t always see eye-to-eye with you; allow people who address your pride; arrogance; conceit; self-centeredness; selfishness; pettiness; jealousy; coveting and envy; allow people who attack your habits and addictions; allow people who will snatch that fried chicken out of your hand and tell you to get your behind to the gym; allow people who keep your character, integrity, dignity and reputation accountable; allow people who will pull you off to the side to discipline you, but also allow those who don’t care two cents about the crowd, but about your character and so they will rebuke you openly; allow people who make you change for the better, not those who help you conform to the good enough.

In all of this, it is up to You and only You to put the work in necessary for Your improvement.

Brothers, I know this was a hard one for you today, and sisters whatever brothers you share this with will not likely buy you flowers and say thank you…lol…but medicine that’s good for you rarely ever tastes good to you! And my job is not to only inspire, but to also educate and empower to change for the better. And that can’t always be with wonderful words of poetry! Even God Himself chastises those whom He loves. 

Listen, no one who means you well will desire that you remain the same…not even you! So let today’s devotional be the kick in the butt you need to change direction. You’ve traveled as far down this dead-end street as you can go before crashing. Stop today, turn and change. Isn’t that what repentance is all about? And that’s exactly what you’re going to do. Repent…to yourself for blaming everybody else, except you. Address and acknowledge your wrongs and flaws, and determine to turn from them, change and head in a different and better direction.

When you get the man right, you’ll get the man’s world right! You are the only missing piece to your happiness. Get yourself in place so you can see the wonderful completed picture of what God has been trying to reveal to you. The life you’ve always wanted will all fall in place just as soon as you get the missing piece in place…which is YOU!

"Whenever God means to make a man great, He always breaks him in pieces first." (Charles Spurgeon)

"The good man is the man who, no matter how morally unworthy he has been, is moving to become better." (John Dewey)

"The work an unknown good man has done is la vein of water flowing hidden underground, secretly making the ground green." (Thomas Carlyle)

"If you can feel like a good man in your 40's, you can feel like a better man in your 50's, a Superman in your 60's, and maybe a Spider-Man in your 70's." (Tom Hanks)

"Circumstances do not make a man, they reveal him." (Dr. Wayne Walter Dyer)

"If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." (J.K. Rowling)

"The mirror of a man's heart is his actions." (Dr. Doug Weiss)

"There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstances to meet." (William F. Halsey)

"A man must be BIG enough to admit his mistakes, SMART enough to profit from them, and STRONG enough to correct them." (John C. Maxwell)

"No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has." (Henry Ward Beecher)

"The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively." (Bob Marley)

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit

"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)
"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)