“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?”
II Corinthians 13:5
Most people do not enjoy tests.
We approach them, whether we have had adequate preparation or not,
with trepidation and apprehension.
It is a rare person, indeed, who enjoys them or looks forward to them.
And yet, we read in our verse today the Apostle Paul’s admonition to the
Corinthian church – and by extension to us – to test ourselves.
I am reminded of another verse, I Corinthians 11:31 that speaks to a similar need:
“but if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.”
Judging or testing ourselves, self-examination if you will, becomes a useful tool for the believer.
But it is a tool best used in cooperation with the Holy Spirit.
He is at work in our lives and as we surrender to His direction He can reveal those areas where we “pass” or “fail” our test.
The truth of the matter is, left to ourselves, we are much better at testing, judging and examining each other.
It is much easier to point a finger of failure at someone else than to
admit it may more accurately be pointed at us.
That is why we need (what the world may call) a third-party auditor.
That would be someone who knows best what it means (in this case) to be a Christian and can point out for us where we need to make corrections to get back on track.
Don’t be afraid of “self”-examination, judgment or tests as they are essential to growth.
Make it a regular part of your walk with God.
Hand your test phobia over to God!
Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”
II Corinthians 13:5
Most people do not enjoy tests.
We approach them, whether we have had adequate preparation or not,
with trepidation and apprehension.
It is a rare person, indeed, who enjoys them or looks forward to them.
And yet, we read in our verse today the Apostle Paul’s admonition to the
Corinthian church – and by extension to us – to test ourselves.
I am reminded of another verse, I Corinthians 11:31 that speaks to a similar need:
“but if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.”
Judging or testing ourselves, self-examination if you will, becomes a useful tool for the believer.
But it is a tool best used in cooperation with the Holy Spirit.
He is at work in our lives and as we surrender to His direction He can reveal those areas where we “pass” or “fail” our test.
The truth of the matter is, left to ourselves, we are much better at testing, judging and examining each other.
It is much easier to point a finger of failure at someone else than to
admit it may more accurately be pointed at us.
That is why we need (what the world may call) a third-party auditor.
That would be someone who knows best what it means (in this case) to be a Christian and can point out for us where we need to make corrections to get back on track.
Don’t be afraid of “self”-examination, judgment or tests as they are essential to growth.
Make it a regular part of your walk with God.
Hand your test phobia over to God!
No comments:
Post a Comment