Check out these muscles …

I’ve worked out in more than a hundred different gyms in multiple states. Regardless of the gym, there’s always someone (usually a guy) who pauses to look in the mirror, flex his muscles, and admire what he sees.

Most gyms have mirrors on most or all of its walls. The mirrors aren’t there for the sake of vanity, but for form, measuring, and motivation.

The mirrors offer a very practical use of allowing a person to watch themselves execute an exercise so they can make sure they are using proper form. They also serve as a tool for self-examination, providing a visable means of measuring a person’s progress toward their fitness goals, and this measure feeds their motivation in the pursuit of those goals.

In a similar manner, we need to examine ourselves to make sure we’re doing more than just hearing God’s Word, but actually applying it to our lives so we can progress toward the ultimate goal of becoming like Christ.

“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if
you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it,” James 1:22-25.

Taking time for self-examination provides us with a means of measuring the reality of our faith, and that measure should serve as a means of motivating us to press on toward greater spiritual maturity.

“Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith,” 2 Corinthians 13:5.

Do you routinely take time for self-examination? How could doing so help you progress in your spiritual growth?

Scotty