If your life was a litmus test, what would be revealed?
Cast your mind back to the days when learning was not driven by a tablet — the old days when children were allowed to dissect a cow’s eyeball with a blade. Am I the only one old enough to remember? I hope not! For those who had an education that was hands-on, you may remember using a litmus test to test for acidity or alkalinity.
A litmus test involved dropping liquid onto coloured paper, and if there was alkaline present, the paper would change colour. It was a simple experiment that tested one single factor and provided a decisive outcome.
If your life was litmus paper, would you turn blue or red?
Today, I propose to you that your life — in particular, your lockdown-life — is a litmus test and the outcomes are evidence. The fruit of your life reveals what is buried deeper (Mat 7:16-17). In these days of lockdown-life, your regular behaviour reveals evidence of beliefs, values and issues buried deep below the surface.
I read something in a message recently, which is dangerous when you consider how much rubbish people are bulk-sending. However, this really provoked me to frustration as the message blatantly, boldly blamed church leaders for the church member’s lack of worship experience. In short, the writer challenged pastors to stop bowing in worship and obedience to the government and to free people to worship God. What a load of rubbish!
Are you feeling like this long-term lockdown has robbed you of a life of worship?
This litmus test (lockdown) is a crucial and revealing test, being an effective and definite way of revealing deep beliefs that shape your world. Has long-term lockdown revealed your dependance on others for your personal faith journey? In the case of the person who wrote the message I referred to earlier, the long-term lockdown litmus test revealed their need for their faith to be led by a pastor who constructed their life of worship for them (1 Cor 3:1-3). That is adolescent faith at best, but more like undeveloped faith (Heb 5:13).
Your dependance on church in a building where worship, fellowship and connection with Jesus is presented by another might just show the absence of true, personal spiritual life — are you a whitewashed tomb? (Mat 23:27-28). Sure, there are times when we love to gather, and we should not neglect meeting when we can (Heb 10:24-25, Ps 122:1). But a public, corporate worship gathering should be where we share together the fruit of our private worship lifestyle (Eph 4:16). What you bring to this personally is a contribution to the gathered outcome (1 Cor 14:26). Unfortunately, many people come as consumers, not contributors, and therefore bring nothing to add to what God does in the gathering.
Time for Self-Review
Here’s a few ways you can review your lockdown worship lifestyle to determine if there is something deeper that needs attention.
- During your lockdown have you had personal worship time where the Presence of God moved you, shifted your head, heart, or heaviness? (Is 6: 1-8). Have you felt lifted into the courts of heaven as music, art, nature or study has facilitated your time of worshipping God? (Ps 148:1-14)
- Have you spent with Jesus, the Word of God (Jn 1:1-5), and seen Him revealed in the Bible in a fresh and life-changing way? Does scripture light a fire in you that makes you fall in love with Jesus? (Acts 2:37)
- Has your prayer time released a personal prophetic word for you and your loved ones, 1 Cor 14:1-4), that has brought a deeper alignment with God’s heart? How have you been a faithful steward of the promises of God in your life? (Jos 21:45, 2 Cor 1:20, Hag 2:5, Heb 10:23).
- How many people have you ministered to as you use the gifts God has given you to encourage, edify and uplift another? (1 Cor 12:4-6)
Fruit reveals Root
As my grandad used to say, “the proof is in the pudding.” While he loved his pudding, he was indirectly sharing his concern about the fruit of my life. To put this into a gardening analogy, the root of a plant determines the fruit of the plant, or, the fruit reveals the root. What is buried deep within us is what produces that which is seen and experienced by those around us (Lk 6:43-45). If you want to change the external fruit of your life you must change the health of the root — you must change your internal belief system.
A Christian faith is not something that can be added to our lives as an extra benefit, it must be central to every aspect of our lives. One of my favourite teachers, AW Tozer, says in his book, ‘The Dangers of a Shallow Faith’, “There is only one way to make good on an intention, and that is to turn it into action.” For that to happen we must develop our personal lifestyle of devotion, and this is not something we can abdicate to another. Yes, your Pastor can be your shepherd, assisting with direction, health, spiritual sustenance and healing. But your faith journey is not their responsibility, it’s yours (2 Cor 5:10).
“We are constantly being fed harmful ideas that we adopt and learn to believe in, thinking they are all right, and so we ignorantly follow. This is done without our knowing that a keen, sharp, unscrupulous mind is seeking to control us.”
A.W. Tozer, The Dangers of a Shallow Faith: Awakening from Spiritual Lethargy
The four areas of assessment included above give us four key areas we can seek to include in our regular personal disciplines so that we can grow in our devotion toward Jesus. It’s great that Jesus is your Saviour, but He also wants to be the object of your desire (Ps 42:1-2, Ps 63:1, Ps 84:2, Rev 22:17).
Personal worship
Personal worship can occur in many different ways and this is personal preference. You may be moved by music, melody and lyrical prayers. Worship of Jesus can also be expressed through other means such as writing, study, art, nature, or exercise. Discover your personal worship style and be committed and dedicated to worshipping Jesus as your Lord.
The Word of God
The Word of God is a gift to us that too many ignore. You will grow when you add a bible reading plan to your day as a high priority. For me, making it the first thing I do in my day expresses my desire to honour the Word of God in my life. No matter how tempting those little red numbers are on your social media app, you should put Jesus first in your day! Whether it be a personal journal, bible study booklet or reading plan on an app, the bible is available for your help. It is the lamp that guides your walk (Ps 119:105), as long as you have it in hand.
Prayer
Prayer is how we converse with God and this can be much more than a one way monologue. Prayer is not your ‘Wishlist for God’, it’s a dialogue where you express your need for Him and He responds with His delight over you. God is our Heavenly Father Who wants to speak over our lives and bring His reality into ours. Incline your heart toward Him and you’re likely to hear what He has to say to you.
Serving others
Serving others with our spiritual gifts is an outward expression of our love for Jesus (Mat 25:40, 45, Rom 12:1). The gifts of the Spirit of Jesus are given for use and we would do well to apply those gifts to the blessing of others. As we use our gifts, we grow our gifts. As we depend on the Holy Spirit to enable our gifts, we grow even more. Let us not shrink back from our role in the greater ministry of the Body of Christ (Rom 12:9-13).
The Apostle Paul wrote to the church and warned us of our pride and hardness of heart, several times in fact! Paul was known for his ferocious focus of faith, in which he lived between the tension of hard work and grace. He knew not to boast in his achievements, (Phil 3:7), and from this place of personal conviction he writes a stern warning we would do well to pay heed to.
“Each one’s work will become evident; for the day [of Judgement] will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work.”
(1 Cor 3:13)
In the context of this passage Paul is speaking about our lives. What evidence of our lives will we present on the Day of Great Judgement? We will not answer for the person on our left or our right — we will answer for ourselves.
Your Lockdown Life has been a litmus test. Take note of what is revealed, and allow Jesus to work with you to present to the world a life truly, purely, personally submitted to Him in devotion and service.