The “Cold water challenge” is a current fad to raise money for charity. The videos are funny. However, I have something more difficult and personally profitable at the same time. Having people dump cold water on you is a easier than what I suggest. The goal is godliness. Here’s the process…
1. Ask God through prayer to reveal to you your blind spots (Otherwise you will NEVER see them!),
2. Find a few people who KNOW YOU and love you enough to be absolutely honest with you… speaking the truth in love.
3. Ask them to answer these questions for you… (Knowing they WILL soften their answers. Asking them to give you examples where appropriate. You may have to push them!):
Q1: Have you noticed any anger, bitterness, and/or unforgiveness in me toward anyone?
Q2: Would you say I am a person of… Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control (Gal 5:22-23a)?
Q3: Would you say that I work to do what honors God and is right in every situation from your perspective?
SELF EXAMINATION: Because of Jer 17:9, answer each of those questions yourself… honestly.
Now consider the Scripture…
1 Tim 4:7 Train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
2 Cor 13:5 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!
1 Cor 11:28 Let a person examine himself… 31 If we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.
1 Cor 4:3 With me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted.
(1 Tim 4) Becoming more like Jesus… being Godly… is THE most important goal any Christian can have. Godliness doesn’t “just happen” because you go to church… read a devotional… or post something spiritual on facebook or twitter. It takes real work and serious effort to “Put on Christ.” Thus 1 Tim about godliness holds promise for now and into eternity.
(2 Cor 13) Becoming more like Jesus… being Godly… requires brutal honest self evaluation. It requires putting ourselves through a time of testing to discern where we really are in relation to being holy as God would have us be. The test WILL be beneficial, regardless of the result you obtain.
(1 Cor 11:28) Now is the time for honest evaluation… not when we stand before God on judgment day. Being bold and courageous enough to find out our spiritual condition is worth it in an eternal perspective.
(1 Cor 4:3) Because you are an expert at rationalization and justification, you will need help. Just because you think you’re innocent doesn’t mean you ARE innocent! {Now comes the challenge}. So get some help in the following manner…
IF you (Me too!) are willing to do this AND address what God reveals to us… THEN we are on the narrow path to hearing God one day say to us, “Well done good and faithful servant!” Or… forget this and go jump in the lake… (Snicker, wink).