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12-05-2007, 04:56 PM
Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don't drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. (2 Corinthians 13:5-6 — The Message)
How often do we check up on ourselves and what do we check ourselves against? Well, I think 1 Corinthians 13 is a good snapshot. How we are doing at loving others as God loves us? We might also consider Philippians 2:3-5 and how we should love and others. And, of course, the fruits of the Spirit are worth contemplating. These are all good standards to compare how we are doing to living the way we were created to live.
The next question is do we really take the time to see how we are doing? Now I am not saying we should start beating ourselves up for not being perfect; we will never be perfect. We will always have struggles and issues, but are we becoming more like Christ as time passes on? The only way to answer this is to take stock of were we are from time to time. We are coming up on the end of the year and for many this is a good time to reflect on where we have been, how far we have come and where we are going.
If you find yourself coming up short, Paul urges us to “Do something about it”. What does that mean, do something about it? Does that mean doubling your efforts to be a “good” person? No. That means get closer to God. Use the revelation of your current condition to drive you closer to God, to seek Him and His presence. Get your heart re-connected with His. The only way you will ever get to be more like God is by spending more time with Him. There is no other way it will, or can, ever happen. There are no shortcuts. There is no other way except spending time with Him.
So what are you going to do? Are you going to continue to just keep going ignorantly on and ignore Paul’s admonition? Or are you willing to go to God and have Him show you how you can stand up and then let Him live through you to make you more like Him?
Live intentionally, purposely, free and with passion,
Pete Reinbold
How often do we check up on ourselves and what do we check ourselves against? Well, I think 1 Corinthians 13 is a good snapshot. How we are doing at loving others as God loves us? We might also consider Philippians 2:3-5 and how we should love and others. And, of course, the fruits of the Spirit are worth contemplating. These are all good standards to compare how we are doing to living the way we were created to live.
The next question is do we really take the time to see how we are doing? Now I am not saying we should start beating ourselves up for not being perfect; we will never be perfect. We will always have struggles and issues, but are we becoming more like Christ as time passes on? The only way to answer this is to take stock of were we are from time to time. We are coming up on the end of the year and for many this is a good time to reflect on where we have been, how far we have come and where we are going.
If you find yourself coming up short, Paul urges us to “Do something about it”. What does that mean, do something about it? Does that mean doubling your efforts to be a “good” person? No. That means get closer to God. Use the revelation of your current condition to drive you closer to God, to seek Him and His presence. Get your heart re-connected with His. The only way you will ever get to be more like God is by spending more time with Him. There is no other way it will, or can, ever happen. There are no shortcuts. There is no other way except spending time with Him.
So what are you going to do? Are you going to continue to just keep going ignorantly on and ignore Paul’s admonition? Or are you willing to go to God and have Him show you how you can stand up and then let Him live through you to make you more like Him?
Live intentionally, purposely, free and with passion,
Pete Reinbold