“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 Corinthians 13:5
There’s sin in every church and in every Christian life. The question is whether we are repentant or not. Do we own up to our shortcomings and failings or do we try to brush them under the rug, keeping up pleasant appearances while things are rotting inside? Christ doesn’t call us to be perfect and faultless. In fact, he died for us precisely when we were still sinners. He doesn’t call us to be perfect but he does call us to be real….imperfect men and women of integrity, always aiming higher, always drawing intentionally closer to God.
One of the ways real Christians do this is to honestly examine themselves. Not satisfied with the title of “Christian” and beyond churchy talk and behavior, real Christians are called to look closely within and conduct spiritual checkups. Not content with playing the charade, they want to be “all in”, actively surrendering to God’s agenda for their whole life.
If being a real Christian were a job, would I be considered part-time or full-time?
Spiritual checkups aren’t for the part-time Christian. Each time I do one, I realize how far I fall short. It’s humbling. But it’s the only way to draw closer to God, to lay it all out in submission to him. What does a spiritual checkup look like? There’s no one size fits all, but here are some questions, if you’re up for the test:
Am I increasingly aware of the presence of Christ in my daily life? Am I quick to acknowledge him and turn to him when I feel attacked, hurt, or troubled? Do I invite him into my conversations? Is he in charge of my to-do list? Do I quickly turn to him in praise for so many blessings? Is he part of my life or is-he-my-life?!
Beyond practicing the presence of God in the details of my life, including my priorities and ambitions….am I living in his power? Am I purposefully creating boundaries that invite his protection of my heart and my family? Do I rely more on him or on my own abilities to succeed, to overcome sin, and to extend grace to others? Am I living for all life can offer me or am I constantly dying to self so God can offer all he is in me? When I need to confront others, does the love and joy of Jesus guide me or is it just good deeds? Am I taking active and intentional steps to draw close to God? If I’m not moving toward him, I’m falling away from him. There’s no middle ground. Am I actively applying the Word of God to the details of my life or am I content to know about the Word? Am I always trying to look strong or do I invite God to display his strength in my weakness?
If God’s presence and power is evident as the mainstays of your life, then prayer is too. Are my prayers an after thought to my established plans? Are they a mere plea to be rescued from distress? Are they focused on primarily on me and those close to me or on who God is and his heart for the rest of the world? Are my prayers more about comfort for me or compassion for others?
The world knows real Christians from imposters. The test is their love, or rather the love of God that flows through them. Let’s determine to examine ourselves and not fail the test. Let’s aim higher today by purposefully drawing closer to God and letting him live through our transformed lives.