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 Corinthians 13:5, ESV)
Recently, I was blessed to make my second trip to Israel. Needless to say, it was an amazing time and I have locked in so many memories.
Many Christians have checked into a church at some time, even touched the elements of the Christian life and participated in some Christian activities. The big problem is there is no skin in this game.Israel is known largely for its impressive archaeological sites and is rich in biblical history, so it was a different kind of treat to visit the Caesarea Golf Club, currently one of two courses in the entire country. I strolled through the small pro shop, picked up a few scorecards, and checked out the equipment being offered.
Next I made my way to the practice putting green where a fellow kindly let me make some putts with his putter. The green was nice but not as fast as I had expected.
You might say I played some golf in Israel. On the other hand, by golfers’ standards, I certainly did not golf. Yet I did get my hands on a club and actually putted on the green at Caesarea Golf Club.
So, did I golf or did I not golf? I guess the jury is out on this matter.
This account parallels the lives of many Western Christians. They may have checked into a church at some time, even touched the elements of the Christian life and participated in some Christian activities.
The big problem is there is no skin in this game. They have not made the commitment for the long haul. You might say they have exposed themselves to the game without any buy-in.
When I consider the words of Jesus and what it takes to follow him, I have to conclude that I did not golf in Israel. Jesus did say in Matthew 16:24, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” It doesn’t really matter what translation you look at, the direct meaning is the same. Jesus was saying we must engage and put our life into this journey with him.
Jesus applied other strong criteria to following him. For starters, there is only one way to the Father: through him and him alone. Next, Jesus told the rich young ruler to give it all up and make him his priority. Then of course, there was that difficult passage where Jesus told his followers they must “eat [his] flesh and drink [his] blood” if they were to follow him. Repeatedly, Jesus pointed out the degree of buy-in it would take to be his disciple. This was an essential issue, because in the ensuing years they would be tested with hardships and even persecution.
It is easy, especially when we do not face the hardships and persecution that Christians in other parts of the world face, to apply unbiblical standards to our walk of faith and go easy on ourselves. How do we avoid this? First, we need to mirror our life against God’s Word. Second, an accountability group can help (your Links Fellowship may serve in this manner). Third, it is a good thing to ask the Holy Spirit to purge our heart and show us our condition. In this way, we examine ourselves by allowing God to examine us and push us forward in our faith.
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Larry Dublanko
July 30, 2018
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.