Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24

Taste test in the kitchen. Too much salt or sugar in the sauce you’re making? We must test to know what’s good and what needs adjustment and act accordingly.

Gideon tested God, and God was surprisingly patient, endur-ing the fleece test three times. What’s better? Trusting instead of testing – at least regarding God.

What should we test instead? Our hearts. Our zeal. It is God who tests – and tempers – us. He prunes dead branches and helps us to remain in him.

“Do not put the Lord your God to the test” (Luke 4:12). This is how Jesus rebuked Satan while he was suffering great temptation.

It’s a good reminder for us as we discuss one last “test.” A testimony. Ours – have it ready.

Prayer

Lord, teach us what and when to test. To trust You, to hold on to what is good, rejecting every kind of evil. And may God himself, the God of peace sanctify us. May we hold fast to what is good, for what is good is from God.

Daily Reading: Proverbs 21

– Contributed by Heather Noggle