In II Corinthians 13:5, the apostle Paul encourages us to ponder whether we are in the faith or just playing church. We usually take this most seriously as the Passover approaches, but we should be assessing our spiritual state throughout the year. Even so, taking the Passover without an honest and sober examination of ourselves puts us in a dangerous spiritual position with the God we would be pretending to worship if we were playing church. Such an act would be taking the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Savior and God, as a matter of rote, something to be regarded as just another "church thing" we must do as a preface to the more joyful experiences of the Night to Be Much Observed and the feast days.

Undoubtedly, sincere self-examination is brutal. It requires us to exercise a degree of honesty with ourselves and God that most of us would rather not deal with. It demands courage to face things about ourselves that are less than noble and, perhaps, downright ungodly. Requesting that God cleanse us of secret faults, as David asks for himself in Psalm 19:12, takes courage because it requires God to show us those faults. Such a revelation could tempt some to leave the faith in despair, considering themselves unredeemable.

Realizing our unworthiness is among the best places to start. When I counseled for baptism, I told the minister I was not worthy to be baptized. He responded, "None of us are." God's calling and the blood of Christ shed for us are more than adequate to set us on the road to salvation. While none of us are truly worthy of God's calling and to take the Passover, they are not the considerations Scripture tells us to weigh. What does God's Word actually say on this matter?

The King James Version may have led us astray. Notice I Corinthians 11:27 in that translation: "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord." This rendering can leave a person, especially those new to the faith, with the impression that one must be or become worthy to participate in the Passover service.

However, reading it in a translation like the New King James Version, which expresses Paul's thought in more modern English, shines a better light on what God requires of us: "Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord" (emphasis ours). This translation makes it more understandable that what most concerns God is our attitude in taking the Passover, not whether we are worthy of it.

Obviously, God wants us to examine our motives, attitudes, and behaviors to determine if we are truly seeking to become like Him. We should direct our efforts not so that we avoid penalties or punishments but to see where we come up short in our relationships with the Father and His Son. We should wholeheartedly desire to please Them in everything.

Self-examination is a broad and complex process. Among the many facets of our spiritual life, it includes areas like our faithfulness to God; our willingness to reject this world's ways; our devotion to prayer, study, and contemplation of His Word; and our commitment to fight pride and resistance in forgiving the offenses of others. This essay will focus on another narrow slice of our walk with God: our usefulness to Him.

For many years, I was employed as a telecommunications technician in and around Pasadena, California. As a field tech, the environments I was expected to work in varied greatly. The work required that I travel to different parts of town and from residential jobs to commercial ones, dealing with the politics and other complexities of businesses, not to mention differing weather conditions, depending on the season.

The company supplied technicians like me with most of the tools we would need to do our jobs. We used a specialized tool belt designed to hold specific devices in place, with room for others of our choosing. The company often sent me to install or repair business circuits, so on my truck I carried meters that were worth thousands of dollars. But the tools I used most regularly were my test set—the phone that techs use on telephone terminals—and a version of the voltmeter known as a Sidekick. Each of those two tools cost about $200 at the time, and they are no doubt at least twice as expensive today.

But the tool I used most, no matter what environment I found myself working in, was a black, 12-inch, 75-cent screwdriver. The black metal used in the shaft had a remarkable quality: It would not allow the slotted end to break off or chip, but it would bend if the user put too much force into loosening a stubborn screw. That feature alone saved many eyes, even though we were officially required to wear eye protection when using any tool.

I used that screwdriver for far more purposes than the designers ever imagined. It came in handy when I needed to pry things open, clear spider webs from my work area, or short a line when required. Shoving it into a nearby damp piece of real estate would provide a ground for me. In short, that 75-cent screwdriver was my buddy. Whatever the job, it did what I needed it to do when I needed it done.

Yes, I had far more costly tools, and each had a proper place and use. However, they all required certain levels of maintenance and care that the cheap screwdriver never did. It was always just there, ready for my use.

There inevitably came a time when it could not serve anymore. I would wear the slotted end to the point it became rounded, or I would bend it somehow. Then, I would have to return it to the supply room and get a new one. But that inexpensive little tool had given me many times more service than I ever expected of it.

What, if anything, can we learn from this?

The 75-cent screwdriver, of course, is a metaphor for our usefulness in God's hands. How effective a tool are we to Him? Does He find us useful, a go-to tool when He needs to do a job? Can He count on us when He grabs us from His tool belt, or do we frustrate Him because we are not sharp enough, durable enough, charged up enough, or even available when He reaches for us?

We will consider this further in Part Two.