Passing The Test

Passing the Test

Have you ever wondered how you would do on the Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test? The “Wonderlic” is given by the NFL to the incoming potential draftees as they go through all kinds of assessments in preparation for the draft. It measures aptitude for problem solving, and an average score is twenty. Ryan Fitzpatrick, a Harvard graduate, scored a forty-eight on the test, which research shows correlates with an IQ around 150. What kind of score would you get—below average, average, or above average?

Quite often in our spiritual walks, we test ourselves against others around us. We feel average or above average when someone we know is really struggling, or we feel below average when someone we know always seems to have it all together and we know we don’t.

There are two problems with assessing ourselves against others. First, the standard changes all the time as people come in and out of our lives. Second, we see ourselves both as the one on trial and the judge making the ruling.

We are to be discerning about those around us, but the righteous standard that has been set for us never changes. Proverbs 17:3 states, “Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the LORD tests the heart.”

Remember, it is the Lord who sets the standard and tests the heart. Live in light of the fact that he is the one we should please. But also know that you can’t meet his standard apart from Christ. That is why we need the grace that Christ brings. Ephesians 2:8-9 declares, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

As you rely on his grace, ask his Spirit to be at work in you so that when you are tested, you are found to be faithful.

Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the LORD tests the heart.

Proverbs 17:3