It’s FRIDAY - TEST DAY!

 

I taught in public school for over 25 years and I loved every minute of it. Well, maybe NOT every minute. I think I can say I loved every minute of working with students. Some of the ADULTS, may not have been so much fun. LOL! One of the traditions I remember is Friday usually meant TEST DAYS. Stephanie hated Fridays. As a resource teacher she was overloaded with students on test days. It seemed natural to have test days on Fridays because we could evaluate what was taught through the rest of the week. But burdening students with multiple tests on the same day really wasn’t fair. 

I’m not sure written tests are always a great indication of what my students knew. I had so many students over the years that were great students and terrible test takers. That is why it was so important to test them in a variety of ways to really see if they absorbed the content. I also had it the other way around. I had students who could pass every test but had no real common sense in applying the material to real life. Building great relationships with students was a big part of the testing process. I wanted my students to be comfortable telling me they just didn’t understand or HEY, I GOT THIS, LET’S JUST MOVE ON! They knew better than some test if they really GOT the material. Self-examination was just as important as that FRIDAY test. 

I thought about all of this today as I was reading the end of 2 Corinthians 13:

“Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if, not you have failed the test of genuine faith. As you test yourselves, I hope you will recognize that we have not failed the test of apostolic authority.” (2 Corinthians 13:5-6, NLT)

How is your faith? 

I love to ask that question. 

It usually catches people off guard. Is Jesus Christ living in you? Can other people see Jesus in you? Go back over your day yesterday or at the end of the day today. Did you let the stress of the day keep Jesus from shining through? Did your frustration with sinful people keep you from loving them? What exactly does genuine faith look like? We do have to know exactly what we are testing.

Do you really believe in Jesus Christ? That is the core of your faith. Do you trust him? Is there enough evidence in your life today to show you trusted him? 

Is there fruit from your faith?

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23, NLT)

Wow that’s a tough part of the test!

The test doesn’t get any easier if we look at our obedience to God’s word. Do you recognize the sin in your life and repent from it, seeking God’s forgiveness? Do you demonstrate love for others, for God himself? Are you at peace with God’s grace in your life? How much time did you spend in prayer with the Lord? Did you seek his heart by studying the Word of God/

How are you doing so far? 

This is definitely not an easy test. But, it is a test we should perform every day. AND the good news, when we fail the test we don’t fail the class, we don’t fail in life. We just seek God’s forgiveness and he is there to keep on loving you and helping you prepare for the next exam. Praise God!

EXAMINE YOURSELF TODAY!