Step On The Scale

“But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” (Joh 3:21 AV)

That is an awfully humble and brave thing to do.  Who would want the whole truth of what they are and what they have done to come to light?  Not many people.  Our LORD’s observation here is truly the essence of walking with God in obedience and faith. For the child of God, this should be our pattern of life.  Jesus implies those who live right won’t avoid the light.  They understand they fail, but they also know by the grace of God, they do right.  This is the implication.  If we live in obedience to God, the light will not bother us.  The purpose of going to the light is two-fold.  First, to know if the deeds that were wrought are in truth so that those which are not can be revealed.  But not the second phrase there.  “that they are wrought in God.”  Those that live in righteousness to the truth want more righteousness.  When they attain it, all glory goes to God because those things can only be wrought in God.  In short, those who love the truth will walk in it.  They will examine their deeds in the light of God’s truth to reveal error and to give glory to God for all they have been able to do.  But we must desire to go to the light, no matter what it might reveal.

On my last doctor’s visit, my doctor noted my A1C was a bit high.  I was officially pre-diabetic.  I got the usual advice of dieting and watching my sugar intake.  But then he was pushing a weight loss drug for me to consider.  That really hit me hard.  I went to the light and found out I was irresponsible with my eating habits.  His after-visit summary was not kind at all.  Instead of doing the easy thing, I decided no vice of mine was going to get the better of me.  So, I endeavored to cut out as much refined sugar and unnecessary carbs as I could.  I didn’t go on a fad diet because it is my experience that once a goal is met, the dieter goes back to old habits and regains the weight that was lost, with interest.  Rather, I decided to discipline my urges to bring them under control and consume only what I needed to with more responsible choices being the priority.  I changed my creamer to sugar-free.  I swapped out my sugary snacks with sugar-free ones.  I eat more nuts and fiber than baked goods and high-carb snacks.  One thing I do every morning is to step on our digital scale to see the results.  At first, like any diet, the pounds came off.  Then I hit a plateau.  This scale lights up.  It doesn’t lie.  I have to go to the light to see if my deeds were wrought in God.  Sometimes, I don’t like what I see.  But all I have to do is remember what I was at my heaviest and know and know I will never be that again.  All praise to God.

We can look at that bathroom scale one of two ways.  We can either look at it as a constant failure.  We have a goal and we are not reaching that goal.  In one sense, that is a good thing because it will cause us to recommit to a healthier lifestyle.  But too much negative thinking causes us to quit.  Or, we can look at it as something God is doing in our lives.  We can look at that scale and praise the LORD for the wonderful resolve He has given us by His Spirit.  The same is true of any area of life.  We go to the light of God’s word for encouragement and correction.  Not one or the other.  We look for both.  Those who are saved go to the light because we want to give glory to God for all He has accomplished through and by us.  We also go to the light to make adjustments so that we can please our Father more and more.  Going to the light should be the natural habit of the child of God.  He should go to the light as naturally as he or she breathes or eats.  Going to the light should be second nature to us and is a manifestation of a healthy relationship with our God and Creator.