Taking the Test of Faith

Friday, September 22, 2023

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine.  Test yourselves.  Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.  2 Corinthians 13:5

I dislike tests; always have!  Generally my reasons are two-fold:

1.  Sometimes (okay, a lot of times) I just haven’t paid enough attention to preparation.  There’s nothing worse than having your ignorance tested!

2.  Nerves – I hate anxiety, the kind of apprehension that, even though I have prepared, and know the material, my mind will misunderstand the question, or my learning will prove faulty…and I will fail even though I tried.

These two reasons are why I have supreme interest-in, and deep admiration-for, those who constantly put themselves through testing.  To me it would seem masochistic to put myself through the humiliation of a test if it weren’t required. 

On the other hand, it is a healthy practice to measure where you stand when you’re trying to accomplish something.  And this was Paul’s point entirely when he strongly suggested that the believers at Corinth take the examination of faith.  This church had a myriad of disputes, power-struggles and weird practices that the apostle had to deal with.  Their idea of what Christianity looked like was more worldly than Christ-like, and Paul spent much time correcting their mistakes.  He now told them to self-examine for evidence that Christ was indeed among them.

That self-examination sounds an awful lot like what my Mom used to say to me when I left the house – remember who you are!  Paul was reminding Corinthian church folk to remember whose they are – they belonged to Christ, so He should be visible in their actions, daily relationships, and attitudes.

I still don’t like tests, and this testing of my faith in Christ – after more than fifty years of following him seriously – is no exception.  When I take an honest look at the way I serve the Lord, the fail-points of my faith can be a painful experience.

But I do it anyway.  And I’ve learned it’s not masochism – it’s healthy, because when you look back and see how Christ has led you through difficult times, and how you responded in faith here and there, and you see the different way you look at things now than you did five years ago…understanding, like Paul suggested for Corinth, that Jesus really IS among all of it is, as the hymn-writer put it, Jesus leading me all the way^[2].

And if I wouldn’t take that test of faith, just because I’m afraid, or it’s inconvenient, or some other excuse…how would I know where I stand in my discipleship…how would I know if I’m growing in Christ?  I’d be like the farmer who chose to NOT plant beans, cotton or corn because of weevils, blight or drought; he just wanted to play it safe, so he skipped checking and preparing the soil, and planting seeds.  He avoided the disaster of failure, but how will he feed his family?  And, if I followed his example, how would I feed my soul?

For You Today 

Testing our faith isn’t about embarrassment or test-anxiety, it’s learning to feed your soul, serve your King, and being ready for that great-gettin’-up-mornin’. 

It’s a test worth taking!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

There are about 2,600 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road library.

(this post originally appeared as Taking the Test of Faith, 6/29/2016)

Title Image(s) courtesy of WikimediaCommons.org

Images without citation are in public domain.  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from NLT^©   

The Crowd Around Me

 

Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Hear my cry, for I am very low.  Rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.  Bring me out of prison so I can thank you.  The godly will crowd around me, for you are good to me.”  Psalm 142:6-7

This, according to the marginal notes in the text, is David’s reflection of what he felt while hiding in a cave to escape a relentless pursuit by King Saul.  David was very low in spirit, surrounded by those under orders to kill him…a whole army of professional killers.  They were too strong a force for anyone to withstand.  David felt as if he were the death-row inmate, and the last appeal had been denied.

And so the prayer lifted for release from the prison is our prayer when we are also “low”, depressed, defeated, diseased, disenfranchised, duped, and dying in spirit.  We pray for the safety net to lift us out of the pit.  The Psalmist (King David) expresses for us the greatest truth about what God intended for the church – to be the safety net of His goodness. 

The crowd of the godly to which David points is God’s family, godly compassionate souls who are ready to stand together.  This is more than an army; this is the two or three of which Jesus spoke; when they gather around, they are a crowd no earthly force can defeat.

To be sure, the church is made up of people who have been lifted out of their own prison of sin.  That certainly makes them imperfect, and we can be a messy bunch, sometimes making incredibly unwise, or unhealthy decisions.  But, there is one truth that cannot be denied – when God placed you in the church, He meant it for good, and what God means for good will turn out for good.

At times I have seen (in myself and others) the doubt of believing the circumstances we face being anything close to God-ordained.  We imagine tough times are always Satan’s work.  We feel like David in the cave, perhaps.  But God, in His infinite wisdom, is always working things together for good for those who are His.[1]  Sometimes the dilemma in which you are bogged down is engineered in Heaven.  And it is not God “testing” you to find out if you’ll stand.  Rather, the tests of God go beyond that; He already knows how much you can stand; you’re being tested so YOU will know you CAN stand, if you’ll stand in His strength alone.

For You Today

So, what’s on your plate?  Got troubles by the truckload?  Got a decision to make that you’re hesitating to pull the trigger for fear of what others might think or say?  Got a relationship that’s a little rocky?  Job in jeopardy?  Kids getting into stuff?  Doctor still hasn’t called about that test?

The church is more than that place of obligation on Sunday, or the ritual chest, or a porch to discuss the ball game; it’s God’s safety net for you, that crowd around you and me. 

And you’re part of it that someone else needs. 

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!   

[1] Title and Other Images:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©    

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[1] See Romans 8:28

Endurance

[i]

Monday, February 13, 2017

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.   James 1:2-4^(NLT)

James, the half-brother of Jesus was revered in the early church for being a great man of prayer.  According to some sources they even called him camel knees because of the extremely baggy callouses on his knees from spending so much time kneeling on the floor.  And yet when I read about troubles being a big-time opportunity for great joy, there is an uncontrollable eye-roll that wells-up within.

And then we read the rest of his statement and it begins to make sense.  The testing of our faith is something of which God approves.  This is not to be confused with tempting.  James later says ^{(verse 13)} that God never uses temptation on us; that comes from a different direction – namely the world, the flesh or the devil.  But testing – ah, that’s from God, proof that you are a loved child the Father is developing.  And what development that is!

The Development of a Saint

Saints are literally those whom God has made spiritually-strong through testing and setting-apart from the sinfulness failure syndrome.  It’s a process of growing spiritually mature.  James tells us that when our endurance, matured through testing is fully-developed, that spiritual growth will have brought completeness to what God desired in your life, nothing less!  And that’s enough!

In a recent conversation with my bride we were talking about difficult times in the past and how we wish we could go back and make it better.  The thought came that, of all the mistakes and missteps, there is nothing in my life that has ever happened from which God has not somehow brought positive results.

That doesn’t mean testing is easy; never said that!  In fact there seems to be a definite correlation between the duration, depth and location of the testing and the meaningfulness of spiritual growth produced.

A Case in Point

The last thing in the world I wanted was another dog. 

But when Wellie showed up, he needed a home, and I guess God figured we needed another test (eye-roll suppressed again)!  A few months after Wellie came to live with us his back legs stopped working and he became wheelchair-bound.  I guess we were more depressed than he was; he still doesn’t know he’s disabled, except he has to wait to be lifted up a step or two.  Otherwise he’s still playful, mischievous and generally unwilling to let even a 150lb German shepherd pass without a challenge!

                                           Now, he’s still a lot of work, but that has become part of the family routine, and we deal with it.  The positive spiritual maturity that has evolved in all of this, particularly for me, has been the willingness to be compassionate, instead of just feeling compassion.  There is quite a difference between feeling an ache in your viscera over someone’s troubles, and getting hands-on to do something about it.

And that is definitely a kingdom of God reality.  He could have stayed very comfortably on his throne in heaven; instead he chose the cross.

For You Today

Have some troubles been working on you?  That’s the Father crafting another saint!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

NOTES

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[i]  Title image: By Anant Nath Sharma (www.thelensor.tumblr.com), via Wikimedia Commons

Taking the Test of Faith

[1]

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine.  Test yourselves.  Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.   2 Corinthians 13:5^(NLT)

I dislike tests; always have!  Generally my reasons are two-fold:

1.     Sometimes (okay, a lot of times) I just haven’t paid enough attention to preparation.  There’s nothing worse than having your ignorance tested!

2.     Nerves – I hate anxiety, the kind of apprehension that, even though I have prepared, and know the material, my mind will misunderstand the question, or my learning will prove faulty…and I will fail even though I tried.

These two reasons are why I have supreme interest and, at times, deep admiration for, those who constantly put themselves through testing.  To me it would seem masochistic to put myself through the humiliation of a test if it weren’t required. 

On the other hand, it is a healthy practice to measure where you stand when you’re trying to accomplish something.  And this was Paul’s point entirely when he strongly suggested that the believers at Corinth take the examination of faith.  This church had a myriad of disputes, power-struggles and weird practices that the apostle had to deal with.  Their idea of what Christianity looked like was more worldly than Christ-like, and Paul spent much time correcting their mistakes.  He now told them to self-examine for evidence that Christ was indeed among them.

That self-examination sounds an awful lot like what my Mom used to say to me when I left the house – remember who you are!  Paul was reminding Corinthian church folk to remember whose they are; they belonged to Christ, so He should be visible in their actions, daily relationships and attitudes.

I still don’t like tests, and this testing of my faith in Christ – after more than forty years of following him seriously – is no exception.  When I take an honest look at the way I serve the Lord, the fail points of my faith can be a painful experience.

But I do it anyway.  And I’ve learned it’s not masochism – it’s healthy, because when you look back and see how Christ has led you through difficult times, and how you responded in faith here and there, and you see the different way you look at things now than you did five years ago…understanding, like Paul suggested for Corinth, that Jesus really IS among all of it, that, as the hymn-writer put it, He was leading me all the way[2].

And if I wouldn’t take that test of faith, just because I’m afraid, or it’s inconvenient, or some other excuse…how would I know where I stand in my discipleship; how would I know if I’m growing in Christ?  I’d be like the farmer who chose to NOT plant beans, cotton or corn because of weevils, blight or drought; he just wanted to play it safe.  He might avoid the disaster of failure, but how will he feed his family?

And how would I feed my soul?

For You Today

The test of faith isn’t about embarrassment or test-anxiety; it’s about learning how to feed your soul, serve your King, and getting ready for that great gettin’-up mornin’. 

It’s a test worth taking!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today…have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

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[1] Title Image: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joseph R. Schmitt [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

[2] All the Way My Savior Leads Me, Words: Fanny J. Crosby, Music: Robert Lowry, Hymnal.net