A note to self.
Dear Holy, self-righteous, self-sufficient self
How long  has your bible stayed on the shelf
Pages torn, tattered, jagged edges, peeling leather.
It is not a very appealing reflection of your spiritual state I must say
Its piled up with rest of the “read” material:
Dissected, thoroughly interpreted,
You say you know it so well, even the words in red
But I wonder if you have read the part where it says “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.
I wonder if you are acquainted with the man who bled blood red, scarlet cleansing flood flowing from a heart of boundless love.

You tell yourself you’re so well acquainted with the scriptures you don’t need to revisit its contents to face the daily examinations of temptations.
You tell yourself you are well informed about the times so you don’t need to revise the prophecies.
Well, I think It’s about time, you looked at the clock and realized that it’s a quarter to eternity and man’s glory will soon turn to futility.
What will the worth of your crammed scriptures and rehearsed displays of righteousness weighted against true religion be then?

“There is only one true God” you have preached, one too many times compared to the number of times you have believed it.
Laying on Christ’s sheep a cross you haven’t learned to carry
While you drown in self-indulgence, making your heart with sin merry.
Because you can recite three or four chapters of the bible you have come to believe that you can negotiate a sin allowance with God.

Dear self-righteous, self-sufficient self.
How long has your bible stayed on the shelf?
It has gathered dust thicker than your skin, your sins growing darker Holy angels can’t even minister to you at your “praying” scenes.
Actually tell me, dear self, when last did you pray?
Yes I know this morning, but I’m not asking when last you paid your secret to alter a visit to do heaven a favor but I mean when last did you pray?
When last did you seek God’s face until you lost your own?
Until self lay silent, dead, and buried not bruised and ready to recover.
To pursue His heart until you hear the heavenly hosts singing melodies of sweet relief to your searching ears.
Until his hand dislocate your hip because you are tired of self-dependence
When last did you wrestle with God or have you learned the art of prevailing against man that the battle isn’t worth it anymore?
When last did you hear his voice, or has it been so long you no longer recognize it when he calls.

Well I’m glad you’re here today to hear this voice, for this my pen wrote but my mind did not conceive, this is my voice but these are not my words
So listen and listen carefully
Don’t seat back and relax, stand, and give unwavering heed to this call.
Dear self-sufficient self
You have been leaning on the crutch of your ego for too long
Groping in the deadly dungeons of deceit, dancing to the drumbeat of the devil
then asking why God seems to be silent
Maybe the reason why God doesn’t respond to your prayers is that you have not learned to listen to Him in His word.
Ever ready to answer man’s questions but not to heaven’s call
Eager to stand and speak but not to seat and  be taught
Ever pouring from a shallow broken cistern, trying to fill your empty bowels with man’s approval.
Can't you see that your efforts are rags, filthy robe drabs of covering that leaves you bare and void of His glory
You avoid the question of true sanctification because you know the truth has not set you free
Flee from your works because self-righteousness is a dysfunctional tool for salvation, it doesn’t work.
Come oh dear self, the ladder at Bethel has not been rolled up
The Messiah has not gone back to the tomb and his word, The word will not fail, it never will.
He was nailed and despised, scorned and hung in shame
He said we don’t know what we are doing, he bore our ignorance and took the blame
He hung, He hung, Jesus hung on that cross without one thought of regret, the deed was done without debate.

The Father looked away as your sin, dear self, separated him from his Son,

The Father and The Son Mourned with the Spirit but counted it nothing to the joy of winning your heart
So come, you have not gone too far into the valley of sin that the Shepherd cannot reach you.
Pursue His heart until His will becomes your pleasure
Let Him take the wheel, you probably know how to drive this life but you’ll soon need to learn how to fly
So let Him take your will
Seek His face until His glory fills your countenance
Count the worth of carrying the cross then count the cost of being eternally lost.