I used to be so good,
Or at least, so I thought,
But I am learning not to think of me
More highly than I ought.
I used to see myself
As one of the best persons around,
Now I am inclined to Romans 12
Where the word soberly is found.
I am the chief of sinners
As the apostle Paul did iterate,
I have read it in Timothy
Only here of late.
In his first letter to Timothy
Chapter 1 and verse 15,
He said “sinners of whom I am chief”,
Note: he didn’t say “had been”.
This has occupied my attention
Like I said, here of late
And it is a true picture
Of
my real spiritual state.
I am learning these days
How to bridle my tongue,
It is an inconspicuous body part
But it easily brings one down.
I am learning in silence
And it is not easy for me
But the more I learn in silence,
The
more I can see.
When I am looking at others
I don’t see much of me,
And I end up comparing them
With whom I pretend to be.
Hence, my present objective
Is to think soberly of me,
Chief of sinners is my starting point
To help me spiritually see.
Now, not the best of persons
Like I previously thought
But more the chief of sinners
That Jesus’ blood bought.
Unworthy but sober,
No longer drunk,
That smug self-righteous satisfaction
The Holy Spirit has debunked.
You see me outside
But He sees my inside
And though I teeter and totter,
In Jesus Christ I abide.
Stewart Russell © August 2020
