Have You Examined Yourself? – Sunday Thought For The Day

I hear a lot of people try to speak themselves into heaven. They use bible cliches and they clumsily misquote scripture. But, their life at the very best, is nothing more than episodic morality.

I define episodic morality as the outward display of a person whose life reflects a morality that even their enemies cannot deny. Unfortunately, that morality without Christ will not get a person into heaven.

I hear people who say they have Christian values, but in reality what they’re really laying claim to is episodic morality. Christian values are built upon spending quality time in the Word of God. Christian values include finding a Christ-centered, bible believing and bible preaching church led by solid Christian men called of God to be minister, pastor or Reverend. Christian values do not include using the Lord’s name as curse word. A person with Christian values seeks the will of God in all things and they understand the meaning of “waiting upon the Lord.” A person with Christian values sees the world through the prism of God’s Word.

The Apostle Paul told the Corinthian believers: “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5 KJV)

The word “reprobates” properly means: “persons disapproved.” It has no relation here, or anywhere else in Scripture, to excluding a person from the capacity of salvation. Rather it denotes those who, through the rejection or abuse of divine grace continue to render themselves unfit to be approved of God as his people, either now or at the day of judgment. Such a person professes in words to know God, but in works they deny him, being abominable, disobedient, and to every good work.

Are we honest enough with ourselves, that we can bow the knees of our heart and truthfully examine ourselves in the light of God’s scripture?

We can never be perfect this side of heaven, but we can be truthful and honest with God in our desire to walk as close with Him as possible; which brings up another critical point of examination. If a person says they have Christian values, they will exhibit them by desiring to be obedient to God in all things.

READ:

2 Corinthians 13:5-7 KJV

5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.

7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.