Are you passing the test?

I am doing a bible read through which is taking me quite a while. I started it at the beginning of the year and I am only in the book of Judges. I truly am loving every minute of it. Well, most minutes. The reason it is taking me so long is....life happens and there is so much to "chew" on! I have to stop and jot down something eye opening every few verses. Who knew!

This is something that definitely caught my attention...

Judges 2 & 3

To summarize, once again God's chosen people are failing Him miserably. (ouch!) They are finally living in the lands that God had promised them generations ago. Alas, they do not drive all the people out that God told them to. So, they live among them. The people are not faithful to God right away! This was a great sadness to God. (Judges 2:18) As more lands were conquered, God left some nations among them to see if His people would repent and finally stay true to Him. Big shocker...they didn't. Soon the people began to marry the non-Jews. They started to worship their gods and goddesses. This was one generation after Joshua and Moses. One generation!! They had forgotten all the miracles God had done for them.

Now, what does this have to do with us? Or me? Well tons actually. Several times in these few chapters it speaks of how God left other people among the Israelites that were not worshippers of the One True God. The Word tells us that God did this as a test. He wanted to see how resilient His people were. They had shown themselves as an unfaithful people in the past yet God wanted to try again. ( uuummm...definition of mercy?!) We all live among people that don't believe what we believe. Some don't believe in Jesus, some don't follow His Word, some say they believe and claim to follow the Word but the fruit of their actions says otherwise. Is this a test? Is God wondering how faithful I will be when He puts me in a situation that is not Christlike? Will I stand up for Christ with actions and/or with words when I am surrounded by things of the contrary? I sit here saying YES but in actuality I must ask myself..."Will I?" My real thought is .... I hope so! Now, I am not worried about denying Christ (but Peter said that too) but when the world gets it's grubby hands on me, do I behave like a follower of Christ? Do I love those who curse me? Do I pray for my enemy? Do I give all that I should? Am I patient with those that don't believe the bible is something that can and should be read and taken word for word? ( btw, there are lots that think that way) YIKES!

St. Francis of Assisi said "show them Jesus and use words if you have to." My personal test is to show all people the that God puts into my path, His love. The longer I walk with Jesus the easier this becomes (Praise God!) but there are those days!! It is on those days that I must push against my flesh that says, "rip their heads off!!" The goal is to win more for Christ and love on all those that come into my life. If even for a minute. Am I showing them something different than what the world is showing them? Is it a test? If yes, am I passing it?

Just something to think about.