The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living
2Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. —Galatians 6:3-4
For the last few days, we have focused our attention on the most important renovation project that any of us will ever undertake: family remodeling. We’ve examined four biblical keys along the way: cooperation with God, concentration on His blueprint, fumigation of our homes, and mediation with one another.
To these let me add a fifth and final key: EVALUATE.
Only when we recognize that we are nothing do we begin to see that God is everything. And with that as our framework, we can start to properly evaluate our work.
Someone has well said that the unexamined life is not worth living, so we’re going to take a quiz right now. I have ten questions, and I want you to honestly evaluate yourself. Your options are just yes or no. Here we go:
1. When there is conflict in my family, do I initiate restoration? Yes or no?
2. When I am wrong, do I quickly apologize and ask forgiveness? Yes or no?
3. Have I established standards regarding what I will and will not watch? Do I stick to them? Yes or no?
4. Am I actively fumigating worldly influences from my life, and am I championing that in the lives of others? Yes or no?
5. Have I been deeply convicted by God’s Word at least once in the last two months? Have I allowed the Word of God to penetrate my heart to the extent that it changed something about my life? Yes or no?
6. Do I spend regular time in God’s Word, and am I committed to its authority over my life? Yes or no?
7. Am I fully aware of my helplessness before God, and do I daily admit my dependence upon Him? Yes or no?
8. Do I see God working in my family, doing for us what we could not do for ourselves? Yes or no?
9. Do I recognize the importance of self-evaluation, and am I not in the least bothered to take this quiz? Yes or no?
10. Will I take these five keys to family remodeling and prayerfully evaluate my strengths and weaknesses in each one? Yes or no?
If your heart has been convicted or challenged by these five keys to family remodeling, then why don’t you take a moment right now to prayerfully commit yourself and your family to the Lord. Ask for His strength to do the necessary renovations in the days and weeks ahead. Talk to Him right now. —James MacDonald
Prayer: Father,Lord, enable me to build more faithfully on the rock of the Word. I don’t want to just hear Your truth; I want to do it. I ask Your forgiveness because I have allowed things into my home that are not pleasing to You. Make me diligent in ridding my home of these things and filling it instead with things that honor You.
Journal: In the areas where that quiz convicted me, what am I going to do about it?
