GODS POP QUIZ
Malachi 3:3

God gives us pop quizzes. Rarely a day goes by, that at some point, He doesn't tell us to take out a piece of paper and proceed to give us a pop-quiz. The purpose and use of a pop-quiz is to give us a measuring stick, to see how we are progressing. God's pop-quizzes come at the most unexpected times, when we least expect it. We may wake up one morning, and to our horror, see that our alarm clock did not work, and we are an hour late. Do we panic; start running around frustrated? Or do we take a second, pray, and ask the Lord to help us be where we need to be, do all we need to do, even though we are an hour late?

Often the pop-quiz occurs in traffic. The thoughts of the day racing in our mind, in a hurry to get to our destination, and of course, someone not driving the way we think they should. Do we get angry, yell at them, shake our fist at them, call them names? Or do we rest in the fact God is guiding us to our destination in His time, not ours? The pop-quiz may happen at school or work. We deal with people in our lives daily, classmates, co-workers. How do we handle the problems that always arise from these inter-personal relationships? And of course, all through the day there are opportunities for the Lord to give us a pop-quiz. With our finances, our spouse, our family members, decisions about romance, where to live, where to fellowship, how to serve Him, and on, and on, and on.

Take a few minutes at night before going to bed, and replay the events of the day. Think, "What did I do? What happened throughout the day?" Reflect back and see how you did in relationship to actually living your faith. "How did I handle the pop-quizzes the Lord threw at me today?"

By doing this, you will see those areas that need attention. It also keeps you very close to the Lord, because you CAN NOT pass the pop-quizzes God gives us each day, and not be walking close with the Lord. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE. The 20-30 minutes you should spend at the start of every day in prayer and the Word, the 10-15 minutes you should spend with the Lord before you go to bed reflecting on that day, are the most productive minutes of the day. They will ultimately be the difference between living a victorious or defeated life. They are the difference between walking with Christ each day, or running form Him.

Let's try to make an A+ on all of your pop-quizzes the Lord throws you way each day. Study the material in His Word, and be prepared to put what you read into action in your daily life. The fact is, the pop-quizzes God gives us are real life, with real consequences. Failing them in some cases can dramatically alter your life.

My prayer today is that you will start to really pay attention to those tests God gives you each and every day. They are a way for you to stay focused each day on Him, stay aware of the weak areas of your life, and keep you prepared for the real life spiritual battles we face each and every day.

Never forget, our life is a series of tests, tests that help us in our spiritual growth, tests that help us to stay prepared for the work God has for us to do. Make sure you are ready for that next pop-quiz God has for you.

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

If you have not made the decision to accept Christ into your heart and life by faith, the Bible says that TODAY is the day of salvation. Pray to ask God to open your heart, read the words, pray the prayer, and accept today God's gift to you of everlasting life through His son Jesus Christ.