Sometimes, we can better understand God’s will for our lives by reading of what He doesn’t want in our lives.
What I call a “reverse checklist for living” is found in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. What the Apostle Paul has listed in this passage is the opposite of what God wants from us.
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God — having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”
Yes, we should avoid consistent association with these people because of the I Corinthians 15:33 principle that bad company corrupts good character.
However, periodic role-modeling and testimonies to such people are appropriate, I believe, since some who practice the above might not have had consistent exposure to more redeeming ways of living.
We just have to pray for wisdom and opportunity to demonstrate the nature of Christ in ways that extend godliness without the permeation into ourselves of ungodliness.
So, based on the above, here is our checklist for self-assessment:
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Do I ever put others ahead of myself?
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Do I ever love money more than people?
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Am I consistently humble in attitude and in my words?
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Do I seek to protect others in my thoughts and conversation?
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Do I honor my parents?
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Do I see the good things coming my way as blessings for which to be thankful?
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Do I increasingly seek to display a holy lifestyle?
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Am I overflowing in love for the people in my life?
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Do I forgive quickly?
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Do I look for ways to speak well of others rather than badly?
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Does my faith reign over my fleshly desires?
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Do I ever slip into bullying others?
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Am I filled with joy when good things happen to others?
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Do I reject temptations to coerce or trick people in order to get something I want?
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Do I always measure ideas and plans against God’s Word?
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Do I ever feel that I’m more valuable than others?
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Does my desire for physical or egotistical pleasure ever have authority over my faith?
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Am I portraying faith with words but not embracing it in my heart?
It’s amazing how much opportunity for self-assessment that Paul packed into one passage. Let’s do the work of checking ourselves and changing what isn’t right.
God will be honored more, others will be helped more and we’ll be faithful more than we have.
As always, I love you
Martin
