Chapter 322—Examination Day
Examine me, O Lord, and prove me.
Psalm 26:2
.
The Lord in His providence brings men where He can test their moral
powers and reveal their motives of action, that they may improve what is
right in themselves and put away that which is wrong. God would have His
servants become acquainted with the moral machinery of their own hearts.
In order to bring this about, He often permits the fire of affliction to assail
them that they may become purified....
True grace is willing to be tried; if we are loath to be searched by the
Lord, our condition is serious indeed. God is the refiner and purifier of souls;
in the heat of the furnace the dross is separated forever from the true silver
and gold of the Christian character. Jesus watches the test. He knows what is
needed to purify the precious metal that it may reflect the radiance of His
divine love.
I entreat you to “examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove
your own selves” (
2 Corinthians 13:5
). To maintain the warmth and purity
of Christian love requires a constant supply of the grace of Christ....
In this season of conflict and trial we need all the support and consolation
we can derive from righteous principles, from fixed religious convictions,
from the abiding assurance of the love of Christ, and from a rich experience
in divine things. We shall attain to the full stature of men and women in
Christ Jesus only as the result of a steady growth in grace.
Not in freedom from trial, but in the midst of it, is Christian character
developed. Exposure to rebuffs and opposition leads the follower of Christ to
greater watchfulness and more earnest prayer to the mighty Helper. Severe
trial endured by the grace of God develops patience, vigilance, fortitude, and
a deep and abiding trust in God. It is the triumph of the Christian faith that it
enables its follower to suffer and be strong; to submit, and thus to conquer;
to be killed all the day long, and yet to live; to bear the cross, and thus to win
the crown of glory.
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