Ice Cube once said, “You better check yourself before you wreck yourself.” Urban dictionary defines this particular phrase as, “Take a step back and examine your actions, because you are in a potentially dangerous or sticky situation that could get bad very easily. Often in a harmful manner.” May I say that some of us need to take heed? A lot of us like to wave the “I’m a Christian. I go to church on Sunday” sign, but how many know this is more than a Sunday thing? Imagine if Job was just a “Sunday Christian” You think if Job wasn’t living his faith out loud that he would’ve been able to “sin not nor charge God foolishly” after his possessions and kids were taken away from him? Check yourself.
We tend to think just because the punishment didn’t happen immediately, that we got away with it. Especially with God. That’s a dangerous mindset to have. Check yourself. Ever think that the punishment didn’t come automatically is because maybe God is giving you a chance to confess? Giving you a chance to repent? Some like to say that God is a God of a second chance. I don’t know about y’all, but I passed the 2nd chance a long time ago…I’m a least on…let’s just say another chance. Or as the song writer put it, “He gave me one more (chance).” Check yourself.
Now this is a major check yourself. Matthew 6:24, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Mammon meaning money. The Bible says, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” People like to say that it’s just money, but it’s the love of money. 1 Timothy 6:10, to quote the whole verse, says, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” I like the next verse that says, “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” Meekness does not mean weak. It refers to humbleness, and being humble, does not mean you go around saying that you’re humble. Moving on. Check yourself.
Ephesians 5, the whole chapter, is crazy, but focusing on verse 5, “For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” As my dad once said in a message, “Ouch, amen.” Or as my pastor now says, “If you can’t say amen, say oh me.”
If the only time you open your Bible is at church, how do you fight when not at church? A young basketball player is usually not far from a basketball. Usually see them practicing in some form or another. Joshua 1: 8-9, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein for then: thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” And you only want to use this on a Sunday? Do you homie. Check yourself.
“Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:5. We all got stuff we need to check. None of us our perfect but we all strive to be in our own way. Hopefully something was said that was an encouragement. Hopefully you got something out of this, I know I did. Just trying to help.
Check yourself.
Stay Saved,
Daniel Richerson
