HOW DO I KNOW?

Jesus replied, "I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3, HCSB)

So, you've written the check for that initiation and you've begun to pay your dues. I suppose we could say that your checkbook tells you that you're part of the club. But that is certainly not when you begin to really know it. Inside, you know you're a member of the club when your handicap index shows up on the monthly sheet posted in the locker room, when the employees all greet you by name, when you have established your "regular game." In this way, you have moved from paying your dues to having a sense of ownership.

In life with Christ, feeling that you really know it—that your relationship with Christ is more than just a date on the calendar when you prayed that prayer—is important. It's as important, in fact, as all the wonderful little signs that tell you you're married—the signs that are light years beyond holding a marriage license.

But sometimes it can be important to quantify these signs, to find Scripture to hold up against our lives, and to run that kind of periodic self-assessment that moves us back to the center line of progress. So today, here are three ideas in that vein, three ways to be certain your new birth is growing older and wiser and "nearer, my God, to Thee."

- Do you desire Christ? That is, are you so intrigued by Him that you would, like Nicodemus, risk all you ever thought you knew to find out more about Him?

- Are you willing to profess with your mouth what you believe in your heart to be true—that Jesus Christ is Lord of all, able and willing to forgive and to save you? This may begin with a profession to others of like faith, in a place of safety and comfort. But it must also, when the need arises, be a stance for Christ and His righteousness even when challenged by those who do not believe.

- Do you hate the sin in your own life? Yes, we are going to be tempted. Yes, we are going to sin. But do we hate it when it happens? Do we run back to Christ, seeking His forgiveness and restoration?

Questions like these, when answered honestly, can tighten our faith, advance our belief, deepen our relationship with Jesus.

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Jeff Hopper

June 6, 2008

Copyright 2008 Links Players International

The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.