2 Corinth 13:5

"Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless indeed you are disqualified." 2 Corinth 13:5

Some people hate tests. They would cram for them and study the material and could know it inside and out - and still hate tests. Finals are the worst. They usually carried 1/3rd the weight of an entire semester's grade. Do poorly on one of those and you repeated the course. The fear of failure is always present - and we hate failure as much as we hate tests. Still, tests are a necessary evil in the scheme of education. Without them, we would have no incentive to learn. We would never have mastered the dreaded multiplication tables. We would never have studied Shakespeare. We would have totally ignored some subject matter that has proven to be absolutely nonessential for our every day lives.

Tests have helped make me into the man that I am - well rounded (don't laugh about my physical appearance - I mean mentally!) man. Come to think of it, though I used to like tests, I still like them now - of course a high grade is not the issue any more. Success in life is the issue.

Successful Christian living is the issue. And sometimes, the lives of people around me are the issue. All of these are far more important than whether or not I can "ace" the course. Paul tells us to take a test - a self-test. On that exam is one question. "Am I in the faith?" What does that mean? "Am I right with God? Or, have I parted ways with Him?" In all honesty, we are either one or the other. There is no middle ground. It is a black and white question demanding a "yes" or a "no." "Maybe" or "Sometimes" will never do. And the answer we give will indeed shape our lives.

So, how did you do? Now bear in mind that this is not the final for the course. It's only a "pop quiz." If you aren't satisfied with the answer, you can work to change it. You can improve it. Oh, by the way, it's an "open book" exam. You can check your answer against the Word of God - it's always available. You can always bring it to "class" and its yard stick is always accurate. If your answer is not adequate, I hope you will work on it. We never know when the final will come. Amen and Amen.