Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. (2 Corinthians 13:5) Life can expose your character issues, sometimes in seemingly insignificant events. Several years I was going to tell them how Jesus could change their lives. When I left my room that morning, I saw a newspaper in front of every door, except for mine. I said, “Man, I really wanted a newspaper today.” So I reached over, picked up a newspaper from the door across the hall, and started walking away. I got 10 steps down the hallway, and I asked myself, What in the world are you doing? Can Jesus Christ be Lord in that? So I tiptoed back down the hall, because I didn’t want to get caught, and I returned the newspaper. It’s the simple tests that will help you gauge the quality of the building that represents your life. It will help you determine if you are truly building your life according to God’s code. Simply ask yourself, “In what I am about to think, say, or do, can Jesus Christ be Lord?” WEEK Week 6 37 Wednesday—November 15•Test the Quality of Your Building ago I went to Las Vegas to speak at a prayer breakfast for 500 shopping center developers. Has anything happened recently that helped you test the quality of the building that represents your life? Were you happy with the results of the test? Why or why not? Daily Reading: Ezekiel 31:1–32:32, Hebrews 12:14–29, Psalm 113:1–114:8, Proverbs 27:18–20 Thursday—November 16•Receiving a Reward It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. (1 Corinthians 3:13b–15) We’ve already noted that God has a building code. He has a plan for building a life that reflects His Son’s character. Today’s passage shows that His code includes a deadline and an inspection. Salvation depends solely on our foundation, our faith in Christ. But someday you will have to account for how you built on that foundation. This isn’t about earning merit—it’s about the work that should accompany authentic faith. When your work faces the test, if it survives you will receive a reward. This passage indicates that our failure will bring about loss. The passages about rewards and crowns are not the easiest to interpret, but it is clear that both Jesus and Paul thought this message was very important. When Jesus recreates the new heavens and new earth, in some sense people will reap the fruits of their labor. I don’t know about you, but I want to be on the positive end of that equation. WEEK Week 6 Explain how works that attempt to earn merit are not the same as works that accompany authentic faith. Daily Reading: Ezekiel 33:1–34:31, Hebrews 13:1–25, Psalm 115:1–18, Proverbs 27:21–22
20514 Man in Mirror
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