“Build your life upon a foundation that will carry you through to the end of life’s journey.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – October 7, 2021
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. 2 Corinthians 13:5, NKJV
I have a friend who works as a home inspector, focusing on new construction. Though the builder may have clear architectural plans and appear to have followed them, it is the inspector’s job to take a closer look, ensuring the home is as it appears and is, in fact, safe for occupancy. Though a new home may shine and sparkle on day one, the inspector seeks to give the buyer confidence that this home will continue to deliver for years to come.
In many ways, St. Paul is inviting us to apply this same level of scrutiny, not to our homes, but to our very lives.
Are you living a life that can withstand close examination? Or, is your life with Christ a façade and veneer, giving the appearance of depth, wisdom, and maturity, yet lacking the foundation that will carry you through to the end of life’s journey? These are profoundly important questions that we must wrestle with, and according to St. Paul, we are the ones who must take up the difficult but essential work of self-examination.
At times, other trusted men and women in your life can be a source of healthy examination, alerting you to areas of structural weakness or neglect in your public-facing life. However, there are countless ways in which our motives, thoughts, and desires are held in secret, known only to us and the Lord. As such, you alone are able to tend to your interior life.
Paul sets before us a vision of the Christian life in which we are fully alive, filled in every way with the fire of God and transformed by his love. We are called to “become complete” (2 Corinthians 13:11), or as the KJV puts it, to “be perfect.” This work of full and perfect restoration is an act of mercy and grace, yet we must not neglect the need for daily attentiveness to every part of our lives, both the front-facing realities seen and known by others, as well as the intimate rhythms and unseen longings of our hearts.
Leave no stone unturned, for Christ longs to build you into a home that is established in him and able to withstand even the wildest of storms.
“Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord” (Lamentations 3:40)!
Prayer
Father, help us to live an examined life, believing you long to restore us where we are weak and heal us when we are sick, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Application
Before going to bed this evening, consider practicing the Daily Examen as a form of obedience to Paul’s words here in 2 Corinthians 13.
Related Reading
Psalm 139:23-24; 1 Corinthians 11:28; Galatians 6:4
Worship Resource
Pat Barrett ft. Cory Asbury: Build My Life
Donate
If you are blessed by these daily devotionals please prayerfully consider a donation to support Wisdom Hunters Resources. We are trusting the Lord for His provision.
Download our app!
