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Home Search Topics Contact About | Prove Your Own Selves2 Corinthians 13:5: Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? God is the One who made Christians into Christians and He already knows them so they don*t have to prove themselves to Him. But they do need to prove themselves to themselves and to others. Proving themselves to themselves will give them great assurance. Proving themselves to others will cause unbelievers to speak evil of them and eventually to glorify God. And it will cause unity, fellowship and encouragement among believers. We must prove ourselves by our words AND by our deeds. John 10:27: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:Matthew 10:32-33: Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. James 2:18: Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.1 Peter 2:12: Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. 2 Timothy 2:15: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Actions speak louder than words. Actions are less likely to be lies than words are. I have been accused of being judgmental. The unofficial slogan of the state of Missouri is Show me. I want to be shown that Christians are Christians, not just told. Since the Bible commands Christians to prove your own selves, be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you and Jesus commands us to judge righteous judgment (John 7:24b) Christians should be willing to prove themselves to others, both unbelievers and believers. They should be willing to help other believers judge righteous judgment about them. If other Christians are unwilling to prove themselves to me, they are in the wrong. There have been many that have told me they are Christians who were probably lying to me and to themselves. There have been individuals who have been willing to tell me they are Christians but they have been unwilling to prove it. I don*t really know if they are. I cannot look upon their hearts. All I have to go on are their words and their works or the lack thereof. Mathew 7:20: Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.The passage does not say by their words alone ye shall know them. It is very strange if Christ in a man*s heart does not change his words and in his life. Matthew 12:34: O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.Luke 6:45: A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. James 3:10-11: Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. 11: Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
People whose words and actions don*t match up are fooling somebody. They might sometimes fool you and me and they might always fool themselves but they can never fool God. |
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