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A Regular and Continual Self Examination
Do you recall the last time you made a long road trip to a place you have never been? Or, maybe, navigated the stores at the newest shopping center? Or, perhaps, the convoluted paths at an amusement park? How did you make the trip? What did you need to know? What tools did you consult?
Whether you are making a road trip, shopping the newest mall, or navigating the paths at Disney World, there are three basic things you must know to successfully make the trip. First, you must know your planned destination. Second, you must know your starting point. I call it the “You Are Here” point. Finally, you must know the way. May I suggest that success in all three of these endeavors requires you to consult and study the reputable authority pertinent to the journey you intend to make. A road map, or Google, will not tell you how to navigate the newest shopping center, and the shopping center map is useless to your navigation of Disney World. Also realize that a trip of any complexity requires you to frequently refer back to the authoritative guide. It is unlikely that any of us could drive from here to New York City after just one study of the map. In fact, it is likely that we must study the map frequently as we travel toward New York City. Each time we consult the map we establish our new location (the “You Are Here” point) relative to New York City. Even Google realizes that we are easily distracted and might miss a directive. Consequently, we might on occasion be called to “make a legal u-turn” in an effort to put us back on the correct roadway. It is also why shopping centers of any significant size and amusement parks like Disney World have those map drawings strategically placed throughout the center/park with the classic “You Are Here” dot. Most of us consult those map drawings frequently, if we are smart, as we make our way to the food court or Space Mountain.
You know the Bible depicts life as a spiritual journey with only two potential destinations. One destination requires little planning or study of the map. In fact, you can get there by simply failing to arrive at the other destination. In the Bible, God has provided us with the map necessary for our spiritual journey. It is the exclusive authority. It is God’s word to man. God tells us about our two possible destinations, one path leading to eternal life and the other leading to eternal damnation. In addition, we can find our individual “You Are Here” dots if we will regularly and continually consult its pages. If we expect to reach our goal of Heaven, we must not only keep our eye on the goal, but we must regularly and continually exam ourselves to see where we are relative to where we want to be. In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul gives the following admonition: “Examine yourself as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves…” It takes an honest heart and lots of effort to examine yourself by the scripture, but it takes even more effort and honesty to make the changes that are so often needed to keep us on course. If you have attended Southside for any length of time you may have heard a wise gentleman express life’s journey something like this: “Life is a series of course correcting maneuvers designed to keep you between the ditches.” In Psalm 119:59 David writes, “I thought about my ways and turned my feet to your testimonies.” Staying out of the ditches and turning your feet requires an intimate, regular, and continual examination of yourself as you compare yourself, not to others, but to the true map of life that is revealed in the Bible. In James 1: 23-25, as James writes about the connection between faith and works, he describes this self-examination like a man looking into a mirror. The mirror of the soul into which man looks he calls the “perfect law of liberty” (that which liberates from the bondage of sin). We call it The Word Of God, the Bible. He writes that he who looks therein and continues in its teachings will be blessed, but he who looks and straightway forgets what he saw (and fails to make the necessary course corrections) will not be blessed.
So you want to go to Heaven? Consult the map. Find your “You Are Here” dot. Study the path. Begin the journey. Regularly and continually examine your progress. Make the course correcting maneuvers or legal U-Turns when needed. Stay the course.
Wondering about the alternative destination? It is an easy path. The road is broad. Many folks will walk it with you (Matthew 7:13). It requires little to no self-examination. No course correction or legal U-Turns necessary. It ends at a place far removed from the presence of God. A place “where the fire is not quenched and the worm does not die” (Mark 9: 44-47). You do not want to go there!!!
