Testing

Deu 13:1-4 "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, 'Let us go after other gods,' which you have not known, 'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.

So... the Lord allows false teachers in order to test us. And what is He looking for when watching our response to the test? He wants to see whether we love Him with all our heart and soul. And how does he know that about us? He looks to see whether we "fear Him and keep His commandments and obey His voice." "But that's Old Testament!" you say. "Legalism!" We have to remember what Paul wrote to Timothy when he was leading the church in Ephesus.

2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

When he wrote that, the New Testament didn't exist. He was talking about the Torah. He was thinking of the Law and the prophets. Now we understand that Paul wasn't talking about keeping the Law as a means of attaining salvation. He makes that abundantly clear in all of His writings. But he also understood the "Old Testament" as the Word of God. It was the place where we would learn the ways of God, and as disciples of Jesus that is one of our goals in life. We want to understand His ways, and walk in them. The purpose of grace is to restore us to fellowship with God, and if we are truly in loving relationship with Him, our heart's desire will be to bring joy to His heart by walking with Him in His ways.

2Co 5:9 ...we make it our aim to please him.


Lord, give me a heart to please you and bless you in all my ways.