Good Morning!
LET ME ASK YOU FOUR TOUGH QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR WALK WITH GOD:
In an age of casual Christianity and mediocre spirituality, it behooves us to take careful stock of our lives, asking the penetrating, hard questions, with the understanding that one day we will give an account to a holy God who reminds us that “without holiness no man shall see the Lord.” (Heb. 12:14) “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5) (See Matt. 5:20; 2 Cor. 5:9, 10)
Are you going deep with God? By that I mean, are you studying God’s word regularly, carefully, and in depth? How about memorizing key passages and praying them into your life? Are you internalizing quality spiritual material in the vein of Elizabeth Elliott, Richard Foster, Cynthia Heald, C. S. Lewis, George McDonald, Henry Nouwen, J. I. Packer, John Piper, John Stott, A. W. Tozier, Dallas Willard, and Philip Yancy, etc? Or are you only reading light weight, quick fix religious fast food caliber material that is so prevalent today? Are you choosing to associate with men and women of spiritual substance, who challenge you to the core to be hard after God; to be great for God?
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart…Train yourself to be godly…Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth...He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” (Jer. 29:13;1 Tim. 4:7b; 2 Tim 2:15; Pro. 13:20 )
Do you possess a passion for holiness? By that I mean a passion for Christlikeness. An exercise to help you intelligently answer that question is to prayfully review Galatians 5:19-23 as to where you really stack up. Tell me, do you gravitate toward what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of praise? (Phil. 4:8) Or are you inclined toward that which is sensual, pride-based, and materialistic? Does your heart truly yearn for God? Does your daily schedule and check book strongly suggest that the knowledge of and service to the Holy One is your top priority?
“My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God… One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple…To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” (Psa. 84:2; 27:4; Pro. 8:13)
Are you a broken vessel before God? Or does your pride rule your life? Are you grieved over your attraction to sin? Do you have a tendency to react whenever someone crosses you, challenges your authority, or corrects you? Do you secretly pride yourself on your achievements, ministry, financial success, and social status? If you are truly honest, are you focused primarily on yourself or on serving others?
“The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise… All who fear the Lord will hate evil. That is why I hate pride, arrogance, corruption, and perverted speech…Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Psa. 51:17 NLT; Pro. 8:13; Phil. 2:3, 4)
Are you intentionally engaging with the lost (the “unconvinced”) with a view toward influencing them toward Christ? Or are you hunkered down in your holy huddle, safe among the churched? "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men…When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous…I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some… " (Matt. 4:19; Lk. 14:12-14; I Cor. 9:22b)
My prayer is that you are having a great week!
R. Dwight Hill
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