Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you – unless you fail the test?

 Good morning. OK, Paul, we are back in school: test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you – unless you fail the test? That is one test you do not want to fail. You cannot be a Christian by simply having a head full of knowledge about what’s in the Bible. You have to have that personal relationship. But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test. We pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear unapproved. Paul was not wanting them to do right so that he might receive a stamp of approval; it was for their own sakes. For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. We also pray for this, that you may be made complete. For this reason I am writing these things while absent, so that when present I need not use severity, in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down. This reminds us of the comment earlier about Paul’s writings being strong but his appearance unimpressive. That way when he comes, it can be a time of joy instead of sorrow. That is the end of second Corinthians. Father thank You that we do not fail the test – Jesus Christ is in us. Help us to keep that in mind as we go throughout the day and interact with other people.

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