"Imagine I take a blind test in which my task is to identify the genuine follower of Jesus Christ. My choices are an unregenerate individual and you.
I'm given two reports detailing conversations, Internet activity, manner of dress, iPod playlists, television choices, hobbies, leisure time, financial transactions, thoughts, passions, dreams.
The question is: Would I be able to tell you apart? Would I discern a difference between you and your unconverted neighbor, coworker, classmate, or friend?"
-CJ Mahaney, 24 Worldliness
What stirs my heart and captures my mind? Is it all things put under the submission of Christ to the glory of the Father? Or, is it for my own elevation and security? Whose glory am I seeking in my walk and life?
What is the shape of my heart? If opened what will spill out? What can break it?
The truth of the matter is that I am the worst judge of my own character and walk with Christ. I need my church, my small group, my brothers and sisters (of which I am blessed that my wife is a part of such a group) to make this evaluation. In my own eyes, I err on judgement, the king of sinners in my own eyes. I am too aware of my sin, its ever-presence. But within the context of His community, I am made more aware of God's mercy, His grace, His acceptance, His call on my life, His Lordship over a people redeemed for His glory - True Sovereign of the world!
Jesus commanded His disciples to love one another as a reflection of their love for Him (John 15:10). We cannot think of this love as secondary to how much we love those outside the body. Can the hand be effective without the foot? Evangelism is first the edification of the body. We need to tell and encourage each other first the good news and how we have been effected by it. How has the good news awed us and put us in wonder, humbled us and changed our life?
So, how do I know if I'm following Him and loving Him? I need to look at how I treat the family of God. Am I amazed by our stories, and the God who saves? Am I being broken by the world and full of compassion for those outside of Him? Does my concern of my sin stem from a concern for how it effects the whole body, my family, my kids, my wife?
