Spiritual Exam

Once a year by your doctor, twice a year by your dentist, quarterly or yearly by your supervisor and, if you are in school, forget about it. Physical, mental and occupational exams are an envaluable part of our normal life. But what about our spiritual self, when was the last time you had a faith check up?

Spiritual examination - faith check up, really?  Yes, actually. If it makes sense to test the vitality of the blood in your veins, why wouldn't we test the vitality of His blood in our heart?  Isn't our spiritual vision worth a check up at least as often as our trips to an optician?  If we can gain insight and make important course corrections from an job evaluation, imagine the possibilities for a ministry evaluation. 

Well, maybe, but if it's so important, wouldn't the Bible have given us instructions about spiritual evaluations?  I'm glad you asked - yes it would and yes it has.  Let's check out a few:

     1.  "I want to test the sincerity of your love" (2 Cor 8:8).
     2.  "Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else" (Gal 6:4).
     3.  "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves" (2 Cor 13:5).

Yeah, it really is in the Bible and it really is important that we regularly test the quality of our faith and spiritual life. I can think of more than one prominent pastor and tele-evangelist that failed to regularly check out what they were doing, why they were doing it and who they were doing it for. Spiritual check ups and course corrections along the way could have spared them their fall.

Since "each of us will give an account of ourselves to God" (Rom 14:12), doesn't it just make sense that we take stock of what we are doing and why?  And since "the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Sam 16:7), shouldn't we be looking there too?  Jus' Askn.