SEARCH ME OH LORD!
As a child of God, can we boldly say search me oh Lord?
The Christian race is one in which we should be bold to ask the Lord to search us at any point in time just like the Psalmist did in the book of Psalms 139:23–24. If God should search our hearts, would we be found spotless and acceptable in His presence. There is no time that we should not strive to be like our Master. Can God boldly testify about our lives like He did of Job when satan accused him? (Job 1: 6 – 8). God Almighty could boldly say that Job was His. The commendation from the Lord is greater than any human commendation. The Lord knows all that no one else knows about us, He sees deep into our innermost being and we cannot deceive Him.
The world is full of temptations and diverse kinds of filthiness wrapped in attractive designs. Since we are Christlike having been saved by grace, we should, as the children of the most holy God, separate ourselves from the vain attractions of the world and focus on Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrew 12: 2-3). As dearly beloved children of His, we should cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2Corinthians 7:1). We should ensure that we deal with all the little foxes that can spoil our vines (Song of Solomon 2:15). This may be in form of immoral thoughts, exaggeration, duplomacy, secretly surfing pornographic sites, envy, pride of achievement, grudge etc. Brethren, should the Lord search us, what will He find? It is important to examine ourselves and be sure we are still in the faith as enjoined in 2Corinthians 13:5.
Apart from some of the little foxes earlier stated, there are other things that can make us defiled and separated from the love of Christ if allowed to be used as a tool by the devil. These are tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril and sword (Romans 8:35,38-39). The unpleasant situations that arise from these experiences can lead to murmuring, complaints and charging God foolishly. The love of money, deceitfulness of riches, pursuit of the things of this world and cares of life when allowed to creep into the heart can also cause the believer to derail. (1Timothy 6:10; 2Timothy 4:10; Matthew 13:22). Jesus said, cast all your cares on me. The burden might be a little test to see how much we love Him. It might also be a temptation from the pit of hell to distract us and to destroy our faith in God. This may eventually deter the believer from gaining eternal life if allowed. Although the devil is working hard at this, may he not succeed to distract or fill our hearts with cares to the detriment of our souls.
Beloved, we are God’s people, the sheep of His pasture. Let His purpose be perfected in your daily activities and thoughts so that when you are searched by Him, you will be found without any guile like Philip (John 1:47). The Lord x-rayed him and reported that he was an Israelite indeed, in whom there was no guile. We too, as present day believers, should ask for the grace to reflect Christ’s image daily. The beauty of His presence in our lives is unquantifiable. When we seek Him first, He gives us His grace. He never fails to be faithful, because He gives His grace in fullness. Rely on Him in all situations for grace to be spotless when searched. All He wants from us is to surrender ALL at His feet, to put Him first, so that when He searches us, He will see the true reflection of His image in us. May the Lord give us abundant grace to walk perfectly in Him. AMEN!