Last night in Revival (in a sweet Tennessee Church) I preached about the “Judgment Seat of Christ.” It almost sounds like the Apostle Paul (in today’s Text) is preparing his Galatian converts for that great Event!

“But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. “ Galatians 6:4

Be sure you genuine!

That’s what Paul is really saying!

Elsewhere he wrote to the Corinthians: “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” Quoting 2 Corinthians 13:5.

Two parallel admonitions!

But no let’s look at our Text for this morning:

The verb “let prove” (“dokimazo”) is expressed as a command here, an imperative. (Not just a suggestion!) It means “to test something” particularly in regard to its purity! (Like gold or silver, for example!)

The noun “work” (meaning anything you do for Jesus) is “ergon” in Greek, a word that gives us the English idea of “energy.” 

And if you find reality in your life and heart (true Christian faith) … you are certainly (as the man in yesterday’s lesson) NOT SELF DECEIVED! 

Then Paul implies that pure Christianity, good works that truly glorify God, will automatically produce “rejoicing” in the life of a Believer!

Rejoicing that God is using YOU, to His praise!

Paul never got over the fact that God could use him! He rejoiced in that truth time and time again!

This way … habitually testing our own sincerity … we do not have to keep our eyes on others (in the sense of judging them, gauging them) in order to validate our own spiritual progress.

Paul is really saying, I think, judge yourselves, and not everybody else!

Wow!

“But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. “ Galatians 6:4

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

In Ephesians 5:15 Paul briefly admonished: “See then that ye walk circumspectly.” The adverb means “looking all around,” not being negligent of one’s surroundings! But today, I am also wondering if the word means “looking all around” … even down inside your own heart!