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Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5a ESV).
A person told me, “Christianity didn’t work out for me.”
I thought, “Well, I’ve encountered trials as a Christian, and certainly experienced more conflicts in the church than most (after being a pastor for 50 years), so why do I still love Jesus?”
We should assess whatever we are doing. So, I spent time this past week evaluating my walk with Jesus. Are you now going to hear me complain about God?
No, because my assessment began with Jesus dying on the cross for my sins, and all my doubts, whether answered or not, evaporated knowing that God loves me. I then reviewed the following topics and how they related to me:
Salvation
Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31a).
The Greek word for “salvation” means “healed spiritually, emotionally, and physically.” I’ve found release from self-condemnation (spiritually), peace (emotionally), and power for serving (physically) from Jesus!
After years of running from God, I found that salvation can be found only in Jesus, and I either accepted this fact by calling Him Lord or continued to deny Him, finding only discouragement, frustration, and doubt.
I give salvation in the name of Jesus a 10 out of 10!
Calling
Those whom he predestined he also called (Romans 8:30a).
The Greek word for “predestined” means “determined before,” and we see these same thoughts in Psalm 139:
Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them (v. 16).
Even with a Ph.D. in psychology and having listened to hundreds of self-help podcasts, we still won’t find our true meaning in life.
As Jesus called fishermen from their nets, there’s a divine purpose for each of us. My calling woke me up and beat me over the head soon after I became a Christian. I had come back to my hometown of Springfield, Ohio, after deciding to follow Jesus in Florida, and through sharing my testimony, I led hundreds of teens to know Jesus.
That first witnessing experience led to learning about discipleship, leading more people to know Jesus, founding a church, learning even more about discipleship, traveling on short-term foreign mission trips, having a great wife and family, and writing this blog, read by many each week.
I give God’s calling in my life a 10 out of 10.
Peace
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).
I’ve found peace to be the most enviable fruit of the Spirit in my life. All other fruits of the Spirit, disciplines of righteousness, and fulfillment of calling lead to peace. I’ve learned that God provides a supernatural peace (that we don’t deserve) with our mere intentionality of serving Him.
Let me explain. We don’t have to be perfect to know peace; however, we must be sincere. God’s grace covers the gap between our inadequacies and His peace. Since God’s in charge of giving peace, I can easily give Him a 10 out of 10.
Salvation … Calling … Peace … What’s my assessment?
10 out of 10!