F3 Knoxville

Failing the Test

The Project

THE SCENE: Drippy, cool 30s. Perfect morning for the back porch
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH, Moroccan nightclubs, Overhead claps, Tempo squats, Tempo merkins
THA-THANG:
Grabbed a block and headed around to the back porch of the senior center for some Dora, Dora, Dora!

  • 300 curls, 300 squats, 5 burpees
  • Mosey on over to the playground to get in some pull ups for the day
  • 200 OHP, 150 CMU swings, 5 burpees
  • Gather the 6 in plank, then do 30 seconds more
  • 100 rows (each side), then Heavy Freddies until time
  • Baby Mucho Chesto – 10 Merkins, 10 Wide Merkins, 10 Diamond Merkins, 10 Stagger Merkins (each side)

MARY:
About 60 seconds in Al Gore just to finish out.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

This is a challenging passage because it says outright that every time I have succumbed to temptation, it is my fault. I have never been so overwhelmed that I could not resist, though I have often believed otherwise.

Temptation and testing are ideas often used together in the bible. When I think about a test, I naturally default to the kind of testing used in school. Its purpose is simply to determine if I have the knowledge I am supposed to, and the results will inevitably be either a gold star for achievement or a black dot demerit. However, this is not the model that the biblical authors had in mind.

The word for test often used by the bible’s authors is connected with the process used to test gold, and this analogy is also often employed. The key difference here is that when gold is placed in the crucible and tested, it is not intended to leave the gold unchanged. While the process does reveal the amount of impurity, that very same process of testing gold also purifies it. This is vital to understanding the way God tests us.

God’s tests are not disinterested measurements intended to inform his judgements about us. Rather the test is the very process by which God intends to purify us. Through repeated testing, He can strip away the impurities that reside within our hearts, preparing us to one day endure his presence. For though Christ has won the victory over death and opened the way for us to access the presence of the Father, His presence is dangerous to the impure and unholy. Christ has justified us, but still we must be sanctified that we might enter into new creation and reside in the very presence of the Father, free from all fear and knowing only his boundless Love.
MOLESKIN:
Great to see Guardrail out to spend some quality time out back. This was a fall back plan for the weather, so another day I will have to reveal my planned Dora the Explora Q…
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Weekly challenge is up to 30 pushups, 3 pull ups, and 30 second plank – this Q met standard for today. Check in on Slack to mark your progress. While you are there, read about Lizards, Bullfrogs, and Leeches.

Family Q is coming up February 5th.