“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?–unless indeed you are disqualified.” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
Paul tells the church of Corinth to “examine themselves as to whether you are in the faith.” In the same way today we should take some time to examine ourselves as well. In the military before soldiers go into battle, two soldiers will stand in front of each other and check to make sure they are each equipped for the battle.
Do you know that you are in the battle, spiritually speaking?
Since we are in a battle, obviously at times we need to examine ourselves. So what does it look like for us to examine ourselves to make sure we are in the faith? I see these as “Spiritual Passions”, or more appropriately the spiritual disciplines to help us examine our lives in Christ. At times, we should take a look at these passions or principles to see where we are spiritually with the Lord. Taking a survey, if you will, of each principle and rating ourselves on a 1-to-10 scale: 10 meaning you are walking in this maturely and 1 pointing to the need to step up in this area.
Let’s look together at these:
Worship – This is not something you do at church on Sunday mornings, but worshiping the Lord in everything we do. Whether you are at work, home with your family, or serving in your local church these things are a form of worship. “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Read/Study – As we grow in Christ our main point of hearing from the Lord is through His Word. We want to be followers of Jesus, and the best way to do that is having our noses in the Bible “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2nd Timothy 3:16)
Fellowship/Family – Fellowship is a great privilege, possible whenever it occurs; in church, Bible studies, prayer meetings, home groups, with roommates or family. It is how God meets our needs–it is His “supply line” “For wherever two or three people have come together in my name, I am there, right among them!” (Matthew 18:20)
Prayer – Jesus died not for just our sins, He died for a relationship with Him. There is nothing more important than a life of prayer. ” Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven” (Psalm 107:28-30)
Serving – If you have received Christ in your life you are called to ministry. The term “full-time ministry” is really misused as we are all in full-time ministry. We get to serve the King of kings with the gifts that He gave to us as the church. “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)
Giving – We see scripturally the practice of the tithe to our local church body, but more than being concerned with the financial aspect of that is giving away our selfishness. We are called to support the work of the ministry whether through the tithe or offerings. “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ” (2 Corinthians 9:7)
Evangelism/Discipleship – We get to share the Gospel, invite people to church and help raise others up in the faith. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
Where are you with these Spiritual Passions? Looking at these passions in our personal walk will help to identify areas of weakness in our lives. Once we see the weaknesses, then we begin to grow in our relationship with Christ because we want to be more Christ-like.
The Bible is clear that our salvation is by grace alone, through faith, by Christ alone. These are just great disciplines to help us examine whether we are in the faith. Remember, we are all growing in Christ and are in different areas of that growth so extend grace to yourself and extend grace to others.
Take this opportunity see where you are at right now in your walk with Christ.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Thank you for loving me enough to sacrifice Your Son to be able to wash away my sins and have a relationship with You. Thank you for Your Word that shows me the way to live a Christ centered life. Thank you for Your Spirit that allows me to live a life that shows You to a lost and dying world. Please help me to continually examine my life and make sure I am not neglecting one of these areas of spiritual growth. In Jesus name. Amen.
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Rob Lavallee
Scriptural Seeds Ministries
http://www.scripturalseeds.org
Scriptural Seeds 