Judges 5:16

"Handfuls of Purpose"

For All Gleaners

"There were great searchings of heart." Judges 5:16 .

These searchings are always wanted. We gain in solidity by such scrutiny. It is impossible to live long and satisfactorily upon mere appearances, or upon vain hopes that all will turn out right at the last. There is a great lack of heart-work in the Church and in the individual. We are to search into causes of absence from the field of danger, of abatement of zeal and enthusiasm, and of every form of unbelief. The great court of inquiry is the heart rather than the intellect. We can never get at foundations and realities until we have pierced the region of motive, the region of secret and unconfessed purpose. We should judge others less than we judge ourselves. Let every man put to himself the penetrating question, What have I done, or what have I left undone; and why is the case so, either on the one side or the other? Let there be no fault-finding with other people; let there be no self-sparing. Force the question to its uttermost extent, and be severer with yourself than with other men. All this may mean bitterness, pain, disappointment, and shame, but in the long run it will mean healing, inspiration, strength, and renewed encouragement. "If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." If we say we have no sin, we are liars. Our sins are transgressions of the heart, and until the heart itself is cleansed the hands never can be pure. Let every man examine himself. Let every man hold the candle of the Lord over the secrets of his heart.