examination

In God We Trust

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In-God-We-TrustIt jingles and jangles in a jar, and it rattles around in your pocket or coin purse.  It bears the message, “In God We Trust.”

While you are well-aware of the inscription on your coins, is that motto your life theme?  Do you trust in God?

Let me rephrase the question:  “Can you trust in God?”  Is the character of God worthy of your trust?

When you read the Psalms, it is very clear that the writers of Scripture believed in the trustworthiness of God:

  • Psalm 9:10: Those who know your name trust you, O Lord, because you have never deserted those who seek your help.
  • Psalm 13:5: But I trust your mercy. My heart finds joy in your salvation.
  • Psalm 37:3,5: Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness . . . Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
  • Psalm 56:4: In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?

After you have given some consideration to the verses above, the next question for you is, “Will I trust in God?”

Solomon said that you are to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).”

When the wise sage said you are to “lean not” he was saying that you are not to prop yourself up with you own wisdom.  Instead you are to “acknowledge” or trust God and allow Him to “direct your paths.”

The next time you pull a coin out of your pocket, take the time to read the inscription: “In God We Trust.”  Then examine your life and ask yourself:  “Am I trusting God?”

Life: Infested or Invested

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reflection-in-mirrorMy morning routine includes the couple of minutes I spend looking into the mirror.  This is not an exercise in vanity.  It’s just the best way to examine my wrinkled mug; apply the shaving cream; and wield the razor to shave my beard.

As I was checking the stubble on my face, I thought of Paul’s statement to the church at Corinth: “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5).”

When you think about it, there are several times each day that you take the time to check the quality of some item:

  • Bananas are checked to see if they are too ripe or too green.
  • Apples are examined to see if they are bruised.
  • When you buy something you check to make sure you have been given the correct amount of change.

How much time do you spend in spiritual self-examination?  The Psalmist said:  “I thought about my ways, and turned my feet to Your testimonies (Psalm 119:59).”  When he didn’t like what he saw, the author of the Psalm ironed out the wrinkles in his life by turning to God’s Word.

The methodology of the Psalms was the same message espoused by James (1:21-25):

Lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;  for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.  But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

You have the freedom to look into the “perfect law of liberty” and to use it as a mirror to examine your life.  When you do this, what do you see?

  • Do you see a reflection of righteousness?
  • Is there an image of personal purity?
  • Do you recognize the features of faithfulness in the face you see?

A good mirror to use is a prayer in Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”spic n span

Let me suggest this prayer as a daily test:  Does this mirror reflect a life that’s infested by the ring-around-the-collar filth of the world or one that is invested in the spic and span principles of God’s Word?