Session 24

Why searching your heart is a helpful practice for every day

From 1 Corinthians: A 35-Day Devotional

If your smartphone’s autocorrect changes "I love you" into "I loathe you," it might lead to a rough evening for you and your significant other. We can avoid relationship roulette by carefully proofreading messages before our loved ones see them.

In 1 Corinthians 11:31, Paul encourages Christians to “proofread” our lives: If we examine our hearts for sin, we won’t have to wait until trouble ensues.

In the Corinthian church, people were participating in the Lord’s Supper without recognizing the significance of the meal. Taking communion is a symbolic way to show we belong to Jesus and to remember what Jesus did for us. For those reasons, Paul warns people not to take the Lord’s Supper without first examining where they stand with Jesus and with others.

Searching our hearts is a helpful practice to get into, and not just before taking communion.

As we grow aware of the selfishness in our hearts, we have an opportunity to deal with our sin before we’re tempted to give way to our sin.

Sin always has consequences. The idea that it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission is a lie when it comes to sin. Think about King David, whose child died because he ignored God’s commands and had an affair with a married woman named Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:14).

God loves us too much not to correct us. The point of God’s discipline is so “we will not be finally condemned with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:32). God always has our best interests at heart and He can use even the consequences of our sin to draw us closer to Himself.

Reflect:

• When was the last time you saw God’s correction draw you closer to Him?
• Does knowing sin always has consequences make you think twice about your actions? Why or why not?
• Is there anything in your heart that you need to confess to Jesus and repent of before it gives way to sin?