Christian Living
What Are You Trying To Prove?
20And Moses said to the people, Fear not; for God has come to prove you, so that the [reverential] fear of Him may be before you, that you may not sin. -Exodus 20:20 (AMP)
A Driver’s License, Social Security Card, Government Issued I.D. are all meant to prove your identity. You have to have a Passport with a picture I.D. and fingerprint verification to leave one country and enter another. To attain any of the aforementioned “proofs” of identification usually requires a valid Birth Certificate to even initiate the application process.
Identity Theft Protection has become a marketable sale for major credit card companies in light of all the hackers and thieves stealing people’s personal information. You could have kept impeccable credit your entire life and as soon as your identity is stolen, it becomes a battle on your part to prove who you are. The burden of proof is on you.
In 2000, our family embarked on the process of adopting a daughter from the country of Kazakhstan. The paper work to prove ourselves worthy was seemingly endless. Sometimes we go back and look through the dossier packs we had to get together. It was a lengthy process and there are many memories. One memory in particular stands out.
David already had a passport. His was a fairly simple renewal process. I did not; therefore our passports would be processed in different parts of the country. We had to go get fingerprinted.
We had to go to the county jail where they processed incoming inmates to get our fingerprint scan.
The basement of the courthouse seemed to me like a dungeon. I was not thrilled, to say the least, to make that trek, let alone sit there looking through the glass, watching them process people while we waited.
The Deputy then called us back to scan our fingerprints. Apparently, she was unable to differentiate or separate us from the criminals because she spoke to us the same way. I was taken aback and felt the need to remind her, what our purpose was there, and that we were not being arrested. I told her there was no need for her to speak to us that way. I felt a need to prove myself.
Throughout the Bible you can read of God proving Himself to His people. This may come a shock to some, but God does not need us to prove that He is, to anyone.
In today’s Scripture, Moses relays that God has come to prove His people. He, God, not Moses, was literally going to “test” them.
We all have experiences with tests. We took tests in school, we taste test, you may test drive a car before you buy it. What is the point? To prove it’s worth. A test in school proved whether you had received knowledge in the subject. A taste test helps you decide if it’s worth eating. A test drive can prove if the car is worth its proclaimed value.
I would like to point out something profound here. God had already chosen these people. He had already parted the Red Sea and delivered them. He had already proven that they were worth it and valuable to Him. Now He was looking to see if they reciprocated and valued Him.
God has from the beginning of creation proven His love for us. He sent His very Son to die a brutal death, shedding His Blood for us because we could not prove our worth outside of Him. How do we take the Blood of Jesus so lightly?
What does going to Church prove? Is the Jesus fish on the back of your car supposed to be your picture I.D. to prove you’re a resident of Heaven?
What about the cross around your neck? Does it carry anymore meaning than the earrings in your ears or the rings on your fingers?
We can come up with any cliché to justify our looking to outward appearances. The outward representation of the inward transformation truly manifests itself when it is proven or tried.
How often are headlines and media stories laden with people saying, “I had no idea, I can’t believe it, they seemed like such a happy family”.
I wonder, is that how the world views our Church Family?
You are not called to be perfect, happy –go- lucky, no problems ever, worry, doubt, fear free. That’s called being fake.
You are called, in face of the worry, doubt, fear and sadness, to cast your cares upon the Lord.
Psalm 55:22
Doubting and worrying are not the sin, holding onto them, not releasing them to God, trying to keep them as your own can be. Why? Because we are trying to prove to ourselves or someone else that we can handle it.
I am pretty confident when faced with the sea in front and the Egyptian Army behind; people were fearful, doubtful and worried to put it mildly. But God did not require them to prove anything there. He proved Himself.
Jesus said in John 15:8:
8When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.
Our lives should not be about proving God. He can prove Himself. But does your life prove your love for Him? Does your life prove that you want to please Him and honor Him? Does your life bear the fruit of someone who knows that He gave it all for you and you want to give your all for Him?
Who are you trying to convince? Are you trying to prove your love for God to other people? Does your life and obedience to God convey your love to Him? When times of trial and testing come do you turn to someone else, yourself or Him? What Are You Trying To Prove?
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