October 15, 2020

TESTING

Sirach 27:4-7

When a sieve is shaken, the refuse remains;
So a man's filth remains in the way he reasons.
As a furnace tests a potter's vessels,
So the test of a man is in the way he reasons.
As fruit reveals how a tree is cultivated,
So a man's reasoning process reveals his heart.
Do not praise a man before he reveals the way he reasons,
For this is the way a man is tested.

Personal Challenge

We see the true nature of things around us by testing them. To get the rocks that we do not want in a batch of soil, we run it through a sieve and discard them. When we are done throwing a pot (shaping it while the day is moist, we put it in a kiln to harden it and burn out any impurities. We plant trees and flowers and wait until they produce fruit before we choose to keep them. The same applies to people. We must be tested to see who we really are and what is really important to us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!