Day 90

Yesterday we looked at 2 Corinthians 13:5: "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" Did you examine yourself? Did you take the time to closely look at your actions and speech? Or were you too busy to attend to this most important responsibility? This verse is a command to be obeyed. Today, let us continue to examine ourselves by focusing in on the phrase "whether ye be in the faith."

Of this phrase, Albert Barnes NT Commentary says: "Whether you are true Christians. Whether you have any true faith in the gospel. Faith in Jesus Christ, and in the promises of God through him, is one of the distinguishing characteristics of a true Christian; and to ascertain whether we have any true faith, therefore, is to ascertain whether we are sincere Christians." Where is your faith today? Is it in the power of your own hand or is it in the Gospel of Jesus Christ? If I was to ask your wife or husband, employer, neighbor or friend, what would their response be to this question about you? Would they affirm that you are in the faith?

Our primary business is the business of the Gospel. Yes, we have to work to provide the necessaries of life. However, since God is your ultimate provider, your means of income is not the true source; it is the means God is using to meet your physical needs. Our faith in Jesus Christ and our transmission of the faith to the ones He brings into our lives is our main purpose. This demonstrates our love for Him and for our fellow man. We are not loving others when we don't share the Good News. Today, ask yourself are you in the faith? If so, go and prove it by being an ambassador for Jesus Christ? Remember, the test is not the results, it is being "in the faith;" this means that whether anyone believes you has nothing to do with passing the test.