Good morning. One could say that the Word of God is filled with challenges. There are challenging words, thoughts, and ideas. There are challenging commands, instructions, and requests. There are challenging descriptions, scenarios, and solutions. But when it comes to personal challenges, this one from 2 Corinthians 13:5-6 is a doozy:
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!I hope you will discover that we have not failed the test.
The church at Corinth was, by all accounts, the most difficult group of believers with whom the apostle Paul had to deal. Many were arrogant, defiant, competitive, and often seemed to be guilty of claiming to be Christians without ever having given themselves completely to Christ. Paul demands of them that they put their own faith to the test. He commands that they take an honest appraisal of their walk with their Savior Jesus. It was one thing to say that they believed and to say that they loved the Lord, but it was another thing altogether to truly live in submission to Christ Jesus. It is a different reality to not only call Him Lord, but to actually allow Him to lead, and to humbly bow to Him when you find that your will and His will are not aligned.
We must remember as well that Jesus Himself tells us in John 14:21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
So, are you ready for the challenge? Are you ready for a deep self-assessment to discover the reality of your faith?
The test isn’t complicated, we simply need to consider our recent choices and recognize whether or not they align with the will of God as revealed to us in Christ. To fail would be the case when we see that we are too often placing our own will and interests above the will and interests of Jesus. The test isn’t complicated, but it is challenging.
Now for some good news: If you take the test and find yourself lacking, you haven’t failed. No, that point of awareness can be the first step to healing and the first step towards victory. All that is required to meet the challenge successfully is making a true commitment to Christ Jesus so that your tomorrow is better than your yesterday.
Vern