?I?m a self-made man, you know,? explained a certain magnate of modern business to Dr. Joseph Parker, who immediately replied, ?Sir, you have lifted a great load of responsibility from the Almighty.?
--JOHN BAILLIE (1741?1806)

?Me? is always at the bottom of all sin. It may spell drink, lust, pride, covetousness, self-will; but it is some form of ?me.? . . . burdened with the unbearable weight of ourselves.
--JOSEPH JOUBERT (1754?1824)

A man?s self is his greatest cross.
-- FRAN?OIS F?NELON (1651?1715)

Beware of no man more than yourself; we carry our worst enemies with us.
-- CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON (1834?1892)

Dear Heavenly Father:
I?m working on a puzzle, pure and simple. It is I.
Dear Searching Child:
Here?s the answer to your puzzle, pure and simple. It is I.
-- ETHELYN A. SHATTUCK

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.
-- LEO TOLSTOY (1828?1910)

From the highest to the lowest, self exists to be abdicated and, by that abdication, becomes the more truly self.
-- C. S. LEWIS (1898?1963)

When you empty yourself, God Almighty rushes in!
--A. W. TOZER (1897?1963) 9957

Whenever I look inside myself, I am afraid.
-- C. E. M. JOAD (1891?1953)

You have but two topics, yourself and me. I am sick of both.
-- SAMUEL JOHNSON (1709?1784)

The best sort of revenge is not to be like him who did the injury.
-- MARCUS AURELIUS ANTONINUS (121?180)

When we ?get even? with someone, that is literally what we are doing?becoming even with them, that is, descending to their level in vengeance and losing whatever moral advantage we may have had.
-- SYDNEY J. HARRIS (1917?1986)

He who seeks revenge, digs two graves.
-- CHINESE PROVERB

By taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing over it, he is superior.
-- FRANCIS BACON (1561?1626)

Don't say to anyone, "I'll get back at you for what you did to me. I'll make you pay for what you did!" -Proverbs 24:29

Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. --Romans 12:17

Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it." --Romans 12:19

And be careful that when you get on each other's nerves you don't snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out. --1 Thes. 5:15

That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless?that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing. --1 Peter 3:9

With what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you" (Matthew 7:2).

This statement is not some haphazard theory, but it is an eternal law of God. Whatever judgment you give will be the very way you are judged. There is a difference between retaliation and retribution. Jesus said that the basis of life is retribution-"with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." If you have been shrewd in finding out the shortcomings of others, remember that will be exactly how you will be measured. The way you pay is the way life will pay you back. This eternal law works from God's throne down to us (see Psalm 18:25-26).

Romans 2:1 applies it in even a more definite way by saying that the one who criticizes another is guilty of the very same thing. God looks not only at the act itself, but also at the possibility of committing it, which He sees by looking at our hearts. To begin with, we do not believe the statements of the Bible. For instance, do we really believe the statement that says we criticize in others the very things we are guilty of ourselves? The reason we see hypocrisy, deceit, and a lack of genuineness in others is that they are all in our own hearts. The greatest characteristic of a saint is humility, as evidenced by being able to say honestly and humbly, "Yes, all those, as well as other evils, would have been exhibited in me if it were not for the grace of God. Therefore, I have no right to judge."

Jesus said, "Judge not, that you be not judged" (Matthew 7:1). He went on to say, in effect, "If you do judge, you will be judged in exactly the same way." Who of us would dare to stand before God and say, "My God, judge me as I have judged others"? We have judged others as sinners-if God should judge us in the same way, we would be condemned to hell. Yet God judges us on the basis of the miraculous atonement by the Cross of Christ.

REALIZATION AND CONFESSION
Scripture from The New Living Translation - (c) Tyndale Charitable Trust

I am dying from grief;
my years are shortened by sadness.
Misery has drained my strength;
I am wasting away from within.
-- Psalm 31:10

My guilt overwhelms me? it is a burden too heavy to bear.
My wounds fester and stink because of my foolish sins.
I am bent over and racked with pain. My days are filled with grief.
--Isaiah 6:5

Then I said, "My destruction is sealed,
for I am a sinful person and a member of a sinful race.
Yet I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!"
--Psalm 38:4-6

A PRAYER FOR HELP
Scripture from The New Living Translation - (c) Tyndale Charitable Trust

Have mercy on me, O God,
because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
blot out the stain of my sins.
Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin.
For I recognize my shameful deeds
? they haunt me day and night.
[4] Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
and your judgment against me is just.
--Psalm 51:1-4 NLT

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Oh, give me back my joy again;
you have broken me? now let me rejoice.
Don't keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a right spirit within me.
Do not banish me from your presence,
and don't take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me again the joy of your salvation,
and make me willing to obey you.
Then I will teach your ways to sinners,
and they will return to you.
Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves;
then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.
Unseal my lips, O Lord, that I may praise you.
You would not be pleased with sacrifices,
or I would bring them.
If I brought you a burnt offering,
you would not accept it.
The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit.
A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise.

-- Psalm 51:1-4, 7-17 NLT
A psalm of David, regarding the time Nathan the prophet came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

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