It is Day 22 of the 40Days of Return. Today, I like to call your attention to a very important admonition in the Bible, a principle that will help you in your faith walk with God. The bible calls it self-examination.
It is a Journey…
Most times we go through life forgetting that we are on a journey of perfection, an inward and upward journey towards maturity in Christ. The truth is none of us is there yet; we all are supposed to be committed daily towards making spiritual progress in our walk with the Lord.
God expects you to work out your salvation with godly fear and trembling. He wants you to keep a close watch on your life – in thoughts, actions, and reactions. The scripture says in 1 Corinthians 11:31-32: For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
God expects you to regularly cross-examine and judge yourself and not make others the focus. The bible says: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye (Matthew 7:3-5).
The First Option
If you will learn to mind your business and look at yourself first, the tendencies to be critical about other people will fade away. Isn’t it amazing that God gives us the opportunity to judge ourselves first so that He will not have any reason to do so? Isn’t that loving? Read that scripture again and try to interpret it to yourself. I hear God saying, “I have no business judging you if you will just do it yourself”. Another way to say that is, “If you will just confess your sin, address your faults and mistakes, and repent of your wrongdoings or unhealthy habits; I will come to you as a merciful sanctifier rather than a just judge”. That is God’s love. And I call that the first option.
The Second Option
You might ask, Samuel, what then is the second option? The scripture says in 1 Corinthians 11:32: But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. That means if you refuse to judge yourself and act as if nothing is wrong, the justice of God demands that He judges you.
Why will God judge you when you refuse to judge yourself? The scripture says God will judge you so that you might not be condemned with the world. Again, I see God’s love being demonstrated to you here. God does not treat His sons and daughters like He treats the world. The world is already under the condemnation of God because they refuse the love of God. God has promised that His children will not suffer condemnation and to ensure that you do not experience eternal condemnation, He will judge you if you do not do it and help you escape condemnation.
The Big Question
The question is, should you always wait for God to judge you? That will not be a sign of spiritual growth and maturity. As a child of God, you should make becoming like Jesus your goal and pursuit and should be quick to judge and examine yourself when you see ‘speck and plank’ in your own life. Make it a principle of life, never to lie to or deceive yourself. Never feel good about unhealthy habits or attitude, or wrongdoings. Take action, examine and rightly assess yourself, and make your ways right with God without delays. God bless you.
