Yesterday I was examined. My blood was examined; my bones were examined; even my bone marrow was examined. In a couple of weeks, the doctor will share the results of all these tests. One thing I can count on: He will be honest.
The Holy Spirit tells us to examine ourselves. Surely this is to be uncomplicated. Have I put my faith in Jesus? Does He rule in my heart? Do I live in a way that shows I belong to God? Do I love my fellow man?
It is critical that I am honest. If I see that I am God’s child, I can rejoice as I press on to run the race before me. If I honestly conclude I am not in the faith there is a simple, but urgent solution: Run to Jesus. He is the Author and Perfector of faith. He alone can take me to the Father. He will give me a new heart and a new spirit which will result in a life of obedience and love.
The letter of I John speaks of these important matters. This a section of the third chapter from the Message: “People conceived and brought into life by God don’t make a practice of sin. How could they? God’s seed is deep within them, making them who they are. It’s not in the nature of the God-begotten to practice and parade sin. Here’s how you tell the difference between God’s children and the Devil’s children: The one who won’t practice righteous ways isn’t from God, nor is the one who won’t love his brother or sister. A simple test. The way we know we have been transferred from death to life is that we love our brothers and sisters. Anyone who doesn’t love is as good as dead. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know very well that eternal life and murder don’t go together. This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see your brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear. My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the only way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God! We’re able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we’re doing what he said, doing what pleases him. Again this is God’s command: to believe in his personally named Son, Jesus Christ. He told us to love each other, in line with the original command. As we keep his commands, we live deeply and surely in him, and he lives in us. And this is how we experience his deep and abiding presence in us: by the Spirit He gave us.”
“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