"Regular Checkup"

EPISODE 241

Series: Cross Training • Lifelong Learning: Self-Examination

Look Inwardly to What God Sees

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My family — with our pasty-white complexion — has a history of skin cancer. But after skipping my dermatologist appointment for almost a decade, my doctor was shocked by the amount of work he needed to do as he checked every freckle, sun-spot, and mole. I'm reminded that it's not just the "outer self" that needs regular checkups. Maybe it's past time to schedule an appointment with the Great Physician for a spiritual examination.

We're Cross Training to develop our lifelong learning, the last of twelve marks of the Master we've worked on this year. Lifelong learning comes when we follow Jesus as disciples, hunger and thirst after righteousness, examine ourselves, and seek out wise counsel. So why is self-examination so important, and why do we tend to avoid it?

What You Need to Know

Jesus directs our attention to ourselves during the Sermon on the Mount, when he tells us to "first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye" (Matt. 7:5). Personal change like that begins with what we "see" and "notice" (Matt. 7:3). When we hear God's word, it should lead us to take a hard look at ourselves and start the work of correcting any problems we find. Anyone who hears and doesn't do that is "like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror" and then "goes away and at once forgets what he was like" (James 1:23-24).

But sometimes we get so caught up examining others, that we forget to check ourselves. Many in Corinth wanted to test Paul, but he repeatedly emphasizes the word "yourselves" to challenge them to look in the mirror. "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" (2 Cor. 13:5). Rather than having a distorted picture of ourselves as we help others, we need to turn our focus inward and test our own work (Gal. 6:3-4).

What You Need to Do

Before you worship, take a moment to consider yourself. Do I have an issue to work out between me and my brother or sister? "So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matt. 5:23-24). Before participating in the Lord's Supper, see if you've prepared your heart to remember Christ in a worthy manner. "But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup" (1 Cor. 11:28).

Bring your life before God in honest prayer, inviting him to see you (warts and all) and lead you into his complete righteousness. David prayed to God, "test my heart and my mind" (Ps. 26:2). He begins another psalm acknowledging that God knows everything (Ps. 139:1-16), ending with a prayerful consideration of his own thoughts and actions, pleading, "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" (Ps. 139:23-24). When you find anything out-of-line with the Lord's goodness, acknowledge it to him and walk in the light (1 John 1:7-10).

Learn from your mistakes and try to see yourself more clearly through the lens of those difficulties. Even when something challenging happens that has nothing to do with you, see if there's something you can learn from it. Remember, "It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons" (Heb. 12:7). Because "the Lord disciplines the one he loves" (Heb. 12:6) to improve us (Heb. 12:4-11). When Jerusalem was destroyed, Jeremiah's lament pointed the nation to a path forward through self-examination and repentance. He said, "Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the LORD!" (Lam. 3:40).

Through the Week

• Read (Mon) — Matt. 7:1-5; Ps. 139:1-24; 1 Cor. 11:17-34; 2 Cor. 13:1-10; James 1:19-27
• Reflect (Tue) — What does the Lord see when he looks closely at my thoughts and behavior?
• Request (Wed) — "Search me, O God. Know me, and lead me in the everlasting way" (cf. Ps. 139:23-24).
• Respond (Thu) — Open up to a friend about an area of concern in your life, asking for their prayers.
• Reach Out (Fri) — How can you grow from the challenges you're experiencing?