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? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test.
II Corinthians 13:5-7
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Do you ever get angry over the sin of others?
Almost certainly you do.
We criticize the sexual immorality of the culture.
We speak out against the greed in the life of those with more.
We silently fume about the sin of our neighbor.
We resent the faults of a co-worker.
We raise our voices against someone caught in dishonesty.
We criticize his temper, her gossip, their immoral relationship, or the words that come from that person’s lips.
We speak to family members about the immoral decisions of other members.
We get mad that others in the church don’t show enough compassion.
We despise that one politician with seemingly corrupt dealings.
We hate how so-and-so spends their money.
We publicly decry the immorality of Hollywood, Wall Street, Madison Avenue, and Washington DC.
Seemingly, everywhere we look, there is sin that stirs up anger inside us.
But when was the last time we felt the same anger for the sin in 𝙤𝙪𝙧 lives? Enough anger to move us to action or to cry out against it in our own lives.
This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.” (Haggai 1:7).
We are commanded to consider “our” ways: our sin, our faithfulness, our unrighteousness. Not the ways of others, but the ways of our own soul, our own heart, our own tongues and actions.
Or as The Holy Spirit says it through Paul, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.”
The Spirit of Christ is not working inside a man or woman who is critical of the sins of others.
The Spirit of Christ is working inside the man or woman who considers their own ways, weeps over their own sin, and is determined to take every remedy to remove it.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, reveal to me sin in my life so that I may work together with your Spirit to overcome it. Keep my focus on my own heart and my own soul. I desire to follow You—help me do that better. Amen.