How to test what you’re made of

Way back when the first people began following Jesus, times were tough for the first group of followers. After the initial excitement in Jerusalem where the band of followers went from around 120 to thousands in just days. Jews who had been visiting Jerusalem from all over the known world at the time heard of Jesus and began to follow Him. Those who lived in and around Jerusalem began sharing with them so that everyone had their needs met. But then, the death of Stephen. Persecution began. Persecution became so bad that people started fleeing Jerusalem for their lives. It is in this setting that Pastor James, the oldest of Jesus’ brothers, sent a letter to this scattered congregation. Some of the scattered ones were really struggling. To be helpful, James included a way to evaluate their authenticity as a Christ-follower, or in other words, how to test what you’re made of.

James’ Test

To those early followers who were really struggling as they fled deeper and deeper into Asia Minor toward Rome, James set up this simple way to test their authenticity.

If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. (James 1:26-27)

In these two verses, James provides both a positive and negative way to evaluate personally how to check personal maturity and genuine authenticity as a follower.

The Negative Test – Check Your Tongue

James highlights the struggle with the tongue. Authentic Christians, those who are growing in Christlike maturity, can guard their tongue. If a person chooses to say things that are rude, obnoxious, uncaring, unwise, or otherwise sinful, James explains how this is a problem. He describes these people as deceived. In other words, an uncontrolled and undisciplined tongue represents an inauthentic heart. Just as Jesus taught, the tongue is so closely related to the inner man or heart that a failure to control the tongue is the best way to gauge what is going on at the heart level. This is why James refers to this person’s heart as deceived, and his religion as useless.

Therefore, the negative test has us check the use of our tongues.

The Positive Test – Check Your Life and Service

James also provides us an additional way to see is we are authentic in our walk with Jesus Christ. Here, he says to check two different things.

First, do you serve people who have no ability to serve you back? See, orphans and widows back in that day were the poorest of the poor. Having to social network system to take care of those who had no money, the orphans and widows depended upon the graciousness of other people. They needed people to serve them. As one did serve them, there was no hope for repayment, special recognition, or anything of the sort. Literally, there was nothing you could receive out of it outside of the internal satisfaction that you had demonstrated the love of Jesus to someone in need.

Second, do you keep yourself unspotted from the world? Here, James emphasizes purity. Do your values, thoughts, attitudes, words, and actions represent the holiness of God, the priorities of Jesus, and the work on the Holy Spirit in your life, or does your life represent the world’s values, thinking, attitudes, words, and actions? If what you value as a follower of Jesus is no different than what the world values, then James would say that you are spotted. An authentic Christian strives to remain unspotted from the world system; that is, he or she maintains a diligent watch on what gets accepted as important, valuable, entertaining, worth living for, and desirable. Here, James explains that Christians should strive for exemplary living as Jesus.

Therefore, check your life (is it pure and unspotted from the world) and your service (are you selflessly serving people who can do nothing for you in return?).

How to test what you’re made of

As you go throughout your day today, keep an eye out for three things:

1. Do you control your tongue?
2. Do you serve people around you selflessly, sacrificially, and without a desire to be recognized or get something in return?
3. What carries the weight in your thoughts, words, and actions – Jesus Christ or the world?

If you believe that you pass these tests and would say, “I’m not perfect, but I am striving to live as an authentic follower of Jesus,” then, perfect. Keep up the good work.

If you fail the tongue test, then begin to assess what is happening in your heart that makes your mouth respond the way it does to those around you.

As you serve, consider whether or not you are serving for recognition, a personal feeling about yourself, or what it is that drives your service. Are you selfish or selfless? Are you a taker or a giver? Do you watch others serve and preferred to be served, or do you jump in to serve others? As you figure these questions out, then begin to explore what it is that is truly motivating you.

Finally, do you live in light of Jesus and His values, or do your values reflect those of the world? If they reflect the world’s, then begin to study the Bible to determine what you need to put off in your thinking and value system, and what you need to put on as valuable.

As we go along in our day, let’s all strive to test what we’re made of – with the goal of being authentic and passionate followers of Jesus Christ.