“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you–unless, of course, you fail the test?”
– 2 Corinthians 13:5
Sobering question isn’t it? Am I really a Christian? The Corinthian church was quick to criticize Paul but slow to examine themselves. Perhaps Plato was on to something when he said, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” So what are we to look for when we examine and test our own lives? Paul says we are to see if Jesus is in us! Commenting on this verse, Pastor David Guzik writes, “We are not to look for perfection – in ourselves or in others – but we should see real evidence of Jesus Christ in us.” Real evidence. Conformity to the character of Christ. When we have truly trusted Jesus, He will always seep out of our lives. Why? Because the moment we placed our faith in Him, the Holy Spirit took up residence within us. In that instant we were truly set free! We no longer have to be enslaved y our appetites and whims…we can see our sins as having died with Christ and we now live freely through His resurrection power.
“So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.” – Romans 6:11
A great way to examine our lives is to allow God’s Word to examine us. Our son Seth provided a short little exercise in his curriculum, Faith That Follows to help guide you in this process:
- Slowly pray through Psalm 139:23-24. How would you describe your own “anxious thoughts”? Why is it important to identify the things that cause the most anxiety?
- What are some of the “offensive ways” that you may not be honoring the Lord in right now? After some reflection, write down the areas you sense God is asking you to repent. Confess to the Lord and receive his forgiveness, love, and empowerment!
In Christ,
Dale
dale@daleebel.org