It is that time of year when kids will be going back to school. If they are planning to play sports or just entering a new school a doctor’s visit is on the schedule. If they are to play sports the doctor will give a physical exam to determine if they are healthy enough to endure the sport. If they are beginning school, they need a physical exam to prove they have had the proper vaccinations for their safety and others. These are exams we think nothing about because they are required if we are to participate in activities of our school. It is strange to me how we obey man’s laws for temporal things and think nothing of it. Yet, when it comes to God’s laws we ignore or balk against them as if they are not important. However, they are eternal, and they are given to us by the King of Kings, the Judge of the Universe, and He expects us to keep them. It is time we have a spiritual check-up to determine how healthy we truly are.
Was there a time when I honestly realized I was a sinner, and admitted this to myself and to God? All mankind is guilty before God. When Adam and Eve sinned the curse of sin was placed on all of us.
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Was there a time when I was afraid of the end result of my sins, enough that I was ready to do something about it? We need mercy, not justice. Our sins are against a Holy God, and He is the Judge.
Psalm 51:1-3 “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.”
Do I understand the Gospel? I am a sinner. I have sinned against a Holy God. Do I believe that Jesus, God’s perfect Son, died for my sins and rose again? Do I realize I am powerless to save myself?
Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”
Did I sincerely repent, which means “to turn away from” my sins? I turn from my sins to Christ. Or do I secretly love, and want to enjoy it? Do I make the excuse that “everybody sins, nobody’s perfect?” Do I make excuses for sin by not recognizing them as sin, do I hate sin and fear God?
Proverbs 8:13 “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.”
Have I trusted Christ and Christ alone for my salvation? Christ plus nothing! Do I enjoy a loving relationship with Him through the word and in the Spirit?
Psalm 18:1-3 “I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so, shall I be saved from mine enemies.”
Has there been an evident change in my life? Do I maintain good works, or are they occasional and weak? Do I seek to grow in the things of God? Anything that is not growing is dying! Can others tell I have been with Jesus?
II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Do I have a desire to share Jesus with others? Or am I ashamed of Him? Do I consider myself a silent disciple, and use the excuse, “I don’t need words, I’ll just let my life show them?”
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
Do I have a hunger for the Word of God? A hunger will result in studying and meditating on His word. Do I enjoy the fellowship of God’s people? Putting other things and activities aside to be in the house of God faithfully? Seeking to be there every service. Is worship a delight to me?
Psalm 1:2 “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
Am I ready for the Lord’s return? Read I Thessalonians 4:15-5:4 and if you are ready you will get excited. If you are not ready now is the time to change. Does the Lord have control of my calendar and my checkbook? Think deeply on this one.
These may be tough questions, but it is far better to answer them here and now, than when you stand before God. All of us have plenty of room to grow. The process of sanctification starts when you experience justification, and ends when you die. We all have a different degree of maturity. These questions are designed to help us determine our true standing before God. I pray that you will take some time with these. It would be a good thing to print these questions and your answers, and from time to time pull them out, see where you are, and compare your answers to where you were when you first took the test.
The Psalmist said it so well in Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Excellent