Self examination

"whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent."
-Proverbs 11:12

What would cause a man to belittle his neighbor? We know that it would not be because the neighbor was full of blessings and service, or even because the neighbor was peaceful and respectable. Perhaps the root cause of the belittlement comes by the way of an offence, or maybe the source is pride and jealousy?

If we were to observe this proverb a little more closely, I think our clue would come from the second half of it. "A man of understanding remains silent." This statement declares that either an offence had occurred, or, that jealousy abounds, which is the cause for the slander and defamation.

Whatever it may be, self examination can be the key to unity and peace.

The Bible states in 2 Corinthians 2 13:6 that we are to always be about self- examination to see as to whether or not we are truly in the faith. Verses such as Matthew 7:5 instruct us to remove the plank in our own eye, and only by doing so, we come to recognize that what looked so insurmountably bad in our neighbor life was really an insignificant thing. Progressing through this exercise gives us the ability to see more clearly, and helps us make righteous judgments. We find the real issue of the whole matter, is a matter of the heart.

True self examination will always silence your opinions of others. It will always humble you. Whatever you have become, whether gifted with intellectual knowledge, riches, or even popularity, a steady dose of self examination will help you realize that it is all due to God's grace and favor upon your life. All of this good could literally come to an end at a moments breath should you fail to practice truth, and not give Him the glory and honor due his Name. If you're prideful and jealous, self examination will reveal this, and cause you to humbly thank Him for the blessing He has bestowed upon you, and bring you true repentance.

In any case, the process of self examination produces silence and silence produces understanding, so as they say, silence is golden. Do you have an issue of the heart? Do what you now know, and then you'll know what to do.