Test the Spirits

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. - 1 John 4:1

I have been writing these little daily thoughts for quite a few years now and with social networking it seems that a few people (whom I will probably never meet) manage to stumble across them. Frightening and sobering!

I first began to write to provide encouragement and teaching to the church I pastored and also as a way to personally reflect on scriptural truth. Many times (in the past) these thoughts generated sermons. Some folks have encouraged me to publish, but why would I do that when it is all out there on the web anyway. Frankly, I am surprised (and blessed) that anyone would read these posts, and encouraged to know that some find them useful.

So, why continue to write? I don't believe that I have ever written for my glory (sounds humble doesn't it?), though I often write for my own good (the personal benefit of expressing myself through writing). Hopefully, I write for God's good and glory, which brings me to my point. In all the books, conferences, concerts, and mega-ministries that dot the religious landscape today, who is getting the glory? Who is magnified?

Maybe it is time for us to "test the spirits."

Even those who write against fame wish for the fame of having written well, and those who read their works desire the fame of having read them. - Blaise Pascal