In 1 Thessalonians 2, Paul very personally writes:
For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. (1 Thes 2:3-4)
While tests may not always be the most pleasant thing–whether in school or in life–they reveal what we know and what we’re capable of.
So let’s allow this ancient assurance from the pen of Paul to prompt a question: “When God tests my heart, what does he see?” Selfishness or sacrifice? Impurity or purity? Deception or authenticity? Grudges or grace? Secrets or sanctification? A desire to please men, myself, or him?
The “gospel of God” (1 Thes 2:9) is able to purify, renew, and transform our hearts so that we might “walk in a manner worthy of God” who is calling us “into his own kingdom and glory” (1 Thes 2:12). But we’ve got to be honest about the condition and content of our hearts. That’s a lane of self-evaluation worth exploring this weekend.