The Self Test

Good day

We read 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 grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

Ping, the test is on and your motives and attitudes are being monitored and gently you receive feedback through the spirit channel:

1.   This is why you go to church.

2.   This is why you are a pastor/elder/church leader.

3.   This why you use your money like that.

4.   This is why you have this attitude towards your spouse.

5.   This is why you have this attitude towards the government.

6.   This is what you know about Jesus:

a.   This is what Jesus’ commandments tell you about His character.

b.   This is how Jesus and the Holy Spirit feel in your company – uncomfortable or pleased.

c.   This is how Jesus experiences your attitude, obedience or disobedience.

d.   This is how Jesus feels about your attitude towards poverty, riches, sexuality, money etc.

We can go on and on. Can you see that the answer to the above could be either positive or negative? We can either have a right or wrong attitude and motive. What is right and wrong therefore? When do you sin and when not? In the last few discussions we have talked about sin and last time we have seen that, when it comes to sin, Jesus is our Advocate who covers for us with the Father, but in turn disciplines us to keep us in line with His standards.

We are not Christians so we can go to church, or to feel good about our good deeds, or to accomplish certain dreams and ideals or ambitions. Right and wrong is not established in our perception or that of our communities. The purpose of Christian life is to know Jesus and His idea about right and wrong.

We read in Jeremiah 9: 23-24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD,’” and in John 14:21 Jesus said Himself: “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him,” and then we see in our passage of this week, 1 John 2:3-6: “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”

What is the Lord like? The trend of Jesus’ parables such as the shrewd manager, the talents and so on indicates that God has a businesslike thinking pattern. This also comes out in His making covenants with man, and the many times it is written “if you do this, I will do My part...”

If we look at all my messages from the first epistle of John during the last few weeks we see that our fellowship with God is important to Him, but that sin blocks that relationship. Jesus suffered much in order to obtain a position of Mediator and Advocate on our behalf and therefore, thanks to Him, we have been forgiven the sin of eternal damnation and have access to the Father through Him. By doing that He has kept His part of the bargain or the covenant. Now He expects of us to obey His commandments, as He obeyed His Father’s.

It is by grace that we are saved and we cannot work for it (Ephesians 2:8-10), but according to various passages, including these above, we cannot know and understand Jesus and thus share in His victory, if we do not obey everything He told us to do and walk like He did. There is no such thing as just getting saved and happily riding along on the glory train.

Once again we need to remember what Jesus said in Matthew 7:21: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

Lord, help me to keep your commandments.