Do you know yourself? Are you honest with yourself? Those are pretty simple, straightforward questions. Honest self-assessment, not morbid narcissism, is an important and valuable discipline. The apostle Paul exhorted the Corinthians to,
"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus in in you - unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test." (II Corinthians 13:5-6)
I was at the driving range the other day and I noticed a golf instructor with a student. He had a video camera and was going over the students swing, showing the student what he was doing while attempting to hit that little round white thing. I am not sure the student liked what he saw because it sounded like there was a lot to work on (I think Jack Nicholas said there are 187 things you can do wrong during your swing). I once went to one instructor and he messed me up so bad I could barely swing. I went to a different instructor who after watching me about two minutes said, "Wait, wait, stop! You're thinking about too much! Just concentrate on rolling your wrists." Wow, I started hitting it much more consistently!
There is so much we can think about when it comes to evaluating our faith. So much is flung out at us with good intentions yet yielding guilt and spiritual stagnation. What did Paul ask the Corinthians? All he asked was if they realized that Christ Jesus was in them. That's all. Do you realize that Christ Jesus is in you?
Father, Spirit of the Living God, may we realize that Christ Jesus is in us. Praise be to You in us today!
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