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“Examine yourselves…test yourselves”
Friday, 20 October 2017
2 Corinthians 13:3 since you are looking for proof of the Messiah speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but he is powerful among you. 4 For although he was executed on a stake in weakness, now he lives by God’s power. And we too are weak in union with him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by God’s power.
5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are living the life of trust. Test yourselves. Don’t you realize that Yeshua the Messiah is in you? — unless you fail to pass the test.
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The apostle Paul learned, with sadness, that some Corinthian Christians, people he had personally brought to faith in Jesus, now thought badly of him and his message. A group of “super apostles” had turned their hearts and their faith in a different direction (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:4-6). Verse 3 in today’s passage showed their desire to “test” Paul. But he asked them to take a hard look at themselves, to make sure their motives and attitudes were in tune with Christ’s.
• Scholar N. T. Wright suggested some self-test questions that may supplement those you received in church. “When you look at yourself in the mirror, do you see someone in whom King Jesus is living and active, or someone who once knew him but now seems not to? When you listen to the sort of things you yourself say, does it sound like words that might have come from King Jesus himself, or are you simply talking the same way everyone else does?” *
• Wright went on, “And when you settle down and quieten your mind and heart, to pray and wait for God, do you know and sense the presence, the life and the love of King Jesus close to you, within you, warming and sustaining, guarding and guiding, checking and directing you? These are searching tests, but they are the kind of thing Paul has in mind.” *
Prayer: King Jesus, it’s rather scary to search my life and heart. Give me the courage to test myself, to find the good you’ve already grown in my life, and to discover what is still missing that you wish to give me. Amen.
* N. T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: 2 Corinthians. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, page 144.
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Darren Lippe
Darren Lippe helps facilitate Journey 101 “Loving God” classes, guides a 7th-grade Sunday school class, is a member of a small group and a men’s group, and serves on the curriculum team.
Between the PSAT, AP Test preparations, & Drivers’ License exams for our 2 teen-aged sons, testing has become a disruptive event for the normal rhythms of our household.
Doris & I can see the signs when an exam of epic proportions is imminent: the dishwasher remains un-emptied, the remnants of food/milk consumption are evidenced in every room of the house, & all 4 of their dresser drawers are left open – clearly so that every ounce of energy, every brain cell, & every waking moment is solely devoted to the crisis at hand. (Curiously, this uber concentration/single-mindedness also embraces updating one’s KC Chief/Kareem Hunt Fan Page - but I digress.)
Aside: Interestingly, after extensive research social scientists have determined there are 3 main personalities for test preparation:
Those who methodically go through the chapters each night for 5 nights
Those who read the chapters once & review the night before
Those who ask in a panicked voice, “Test? What test?”
When our older son, Matthew, was a little guy in grade school, we noticed he was quite concerned about his weekly spelling test - even though his dear teacher had suggested that these weekly exams weren’t really tests, but rather just opportunities to “Show What You Know.” (Much cheerier than the text at the top of my High School Humanities exams, “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” As my teacher claimed, “Nothing focuses the mind like a good Dante’s Inferno reference.”)
After a quick review of that week’s words, Matthew’s anxiousness made sense – he wasn’t quite prepared. So we set up the routine of working together to practice the words each evening & writing the trickier words 5 times each night. His anxiety faded as his comfort level increased.
As we turn to today’s passage regarding Paul’s suggestion that we test ourselves, perhaps we adults are re-experiencing the fears that come with the idea of test-taking – the sweaty palms, the increased heart rate, or the sheer panic that would accompany the question, “What do you mean there were also questions on the back of the page?”
But maybe we could take a lesson from Matthew’s spelling test preparation. Perhaps we could consider the opportunity to review our faith walk as a chance to “Show What We Know” - viewing it as a gauge of our life-long journey, not some final/permanent grade. Maybe we could identify our shortcomings & devote our focus to helping those areas to improve. And, if we find we are still struggling, we could ask a fellow friend in Christ to help us set goals, to nudge us back on track, & to hold us accountable as we seek to make our walk more fruitful.
Who knows, we might not have to just rely on the ecumenical prayer of every stressed test-taker, “Lord, please tell me this test will be graded on a curve.”
By the way, I’ve since learned that Kareem Hunt leads the NFL in All-Purpose Yards (885), is the #1 Running Back in Fantasy League Points (123), & is the only NFL player to begin his career with 6 straight games of 100+ yards from scrimmage.
Darren LippeDarren Lippe helps facilitate Journey 101 “Loving God” classes, guides a 7th-grade Sunday school class, is a member of a small group and a men’s group, and serves on the curriculum team.
Between the PSAT, AP Test preparations, & Drivers’ License exams for our 2 teen-aged sons, testing has become a disruptive event for the normal rhythms of our household.
Doris & I can see the signs when an exam of epic proportions is imminent: the dishwasher remains un-emptied, the remnants of food/milk consumption are evidenced in every room of the house, & all 4 of their dresser drawers are left open – clearly so that every ounce of energy, every brain cell, & every waking moment is solely devoted to the crisis at hand. (Curiously, this uber concentration/single-mindedness also embraces updating one’s KC Chief/Kareem Hunt Fan Page - but I digress.)
Aside: Interestingly, after extensive research social scientists have determined there are 3 main personalities for test preparation:
Those who methodically go through the chapters each night for 5 nights
Those who read the chapters once & review the night before
Those who ask in a panicked voice, “Test? What test?”
When our older son, Matthew, was a little guy in grade school, we noticed he was quite concerned about his weekly spelling test - even though his dear teacher had suggested that these weekly exams weren’t really tests, but rather just opportunities to “Show What You Know.” (Much cheerier than the text at the top of my High School Humanities exams, “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” As my teacher claimed, “Nothing focuses the mind like a good Dante’s Inferno reference.”)
After a quick review of that week’s words, Matthew’s anxiousness made sense – he wasn’t quite prepared. So we set up the routine of working together to practice the words each evening & writing the trickier words 5 times each night. His anxiety faded as his comfort level increased.
As we turn to today’s passage regarding Paul’s suggestion that we test ourselves, perhaps we adults are re-experiencing the fears that come with the idea of test-taking – the sweaty palms, the increased heart rate, or the sheer panic that would accompany the question, “What do you mean there were also questions on the back of the page?”
But maybe we could take a lesson from Matthew’s spelling test preparation. Perhaps we could consider the opportunity to review our faith walk as a chance to “Show What We Know” - viewing it as a gauge of our life-long journey, not some final/permanent grade. Maybe we could identify our shortcomings & devote our focus to helping those areas to improve. And, if we find we are still struggling, we could ask a fellow friend in Christ to help us set goals, to nudge us back on track, & to hold us accountable as we seek to make our walk more fruitful.
Who knows, we might not have to just rely on the ecumenical prayer of every stressed test-taker, “Lord, please tell me this test will be graded on a curve.”
By the way, I’ve since learned that Kareem Hunt leads the NFL in All-Purpose Yards (885), is the #1 Running Back in Fantasy League Points (123), & is the only NFL player to begin his career with 6 straight games of 100+ yards from scrimmage.
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“Each person should test their own work”
Saturday, 21 October 2017
Galatians 6:1 Brothers, suppose someone is caught doing something wrong. You who have the Spirit should set him right, but in a spirit of humility, keeping an eye on yourselves so that you won’t be tempted too. 2 Bear one another’s burdens — in this way you will be fulfilling the Torah’s true meaning, which the Messiah upholds. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is really nothing, he is fooling himself. 4 So let each of you scrutinize his own actions. Then if you do find something to boast about, at least the boasting will be based on what you have actually done and not merely on a judgment that you are better than someone else; 5 for each person will carry his own load.
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The apostle Paul pictured lots of interdependence and interaction when he described the living Christian community to the Christians in Galatia. But even as he called them (and us) to support, and even correct, one another, one of the most common ways of reacting to others was specifically ruled out: “not compare themselves with others,” said verse 4. As we grow in the discipline of examining ourselves each day, one unhelpful answer is, “Well, I’m better than ____________________.”
Ø What inner factors tempt you to compare yourself with others? How does God’s love and grace empower you to gradually erode the negative, competitive, comparative patterns taught by a culture whose values are not the same as God’s? What steps can you take toward living into the freedom to which God invites you, basking in the light of God’s favor and approval without fearing what others will think or how your path will “stack up” against someone else’s?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, teach me how to be happy with doing a good job without worrying about how my life and work compare with someone else’s. Remind me that you, and only you, are the master and Lord I ultimately aim to please. Amen.
Family Activity: This simple activity may help even smaller children begin forming the habit of examining their way of life. Read Matthew 7:12(Matthew 7:“Always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that sums up the teaching of the Torah and the Prophets.), the Golden Rule. Give each person in your family an index card. Have each person write, “I did or said something kind” on one side of the card. On the other side write, “I did or said something hurtful.” Ask each person to pay attention to their words and actions each day. Encourage them to place a mark on the appropriate side of the card each time they do something kind or hurtful. No one else needs to see the cards. These are for each individual and God. Each day, work towards having fewer marks on the “hurtful” side and more marks on the “kind” side. Pray for God’s help to treat others kindly.
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
• Larry and Sharon Forbach and family on the death of their son Rick Heinitz, 10/10
• Janine McPhee and family on the death of her sister Judy Jackson, 10/10
• Christine Polo and family on the death of her husband Joe Polo, 10/6
• Loryn and Sydney Polo on the death of their father Joe Polo, 10/6
•Patsy Shipley and family on the death of her mother Mary Stockard, 10/5
• Christal Heier and family on the death of her grandmother Mary Stockard, 10/5
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©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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