In 2 Corinthians 13:5, the Apostle Paul admonishes us to take inventory on our commitment to Jesus Christ. The Spirit prompted Paul to write: “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” One of the clearest “tests” is how you respond to the “obnoxious characters” (OC) in your life. The caveat might be the person you consider to be an OC is not obnoxious at all...it's you that has a problem, not them. But let's say that our OC really is an OC...maybe treating us unfairly, maybe they have an irritable mannerisms or personalities, maybe they are unkind or ungrateful or hateful toward you. This is where the test of “Jesus Christ in you” comes to play. The OC will test us as to whether Jesus Christ is truly living in and through us. Maybe a review of 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 is the order of your day.

Today's My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers speaks not only to our OCs but how we respond to any of the obnoxious things that come into our lives:

“It isn't a question of being saved from hell, but of being saved in order to reveal the life of the Son of God in our own lives. We know whether or not we are revealing his life when we come up against disagreeable things. When I meet with a task or a person I find unpleasant, what do I express? Is it the essential sweetness of the Son of God or the irritability of my self apart from him?

The only thing that allows us to enjoy the disagreeable is the bright enthusiasm of the life of the Son of God. If we get into the habit of saying, “Lord, I am delighted to obey you in this matter,” the Son of God will come to the forefront, and we will glorify him by revealing his life.

There must be no argument or debate. The moment we obey, the light of the Son of God shines through us. The moment we object, we grieve the Spirit. We must keep ourselves in good shape spiritually if we want the life of the Son to reveal itself, and we can't keep in shape if we give in to self-pity. Our circumstances are opportunities for demonstrating how wonderfully perfect and extraordinarily pure the Son of God is. The thing that ought to make our hearts beat is a new way of revealing him. This doesn't mean choosing the disagreeable; it means embracing the disagreeable when God places it in our path. Wherever God places us, he is sufficient.

Let the word of God be active and alive inside you, so that the life of Christ will reveal itself at every turn.”

“4 Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. 5 It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured. 6 It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail]. 7 Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening]. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 amp). Next time you come across an OC in your life ask yourself 3 questions:
1. How can the love and light of Jesus Christ be seen in me?
2. Is my response to my dear OC in synch with the 1 Corinthians 13 passage?
3. Am I really the OC in the relationship? Robert Burns wrote this poem directed to a lady who kept seeing others as OCs:

Oh, would some Power the gift give us
To see ourselves as others see us!
It would from many a blunder free us,
And foolish notion:
What airs in dress and gait would leave us,
And even devotion!

My prayer for you and me this day is this: Lord You bring folks into our lives that test how much we know You and follow You. Let the love of Christ flow from us. We're not looking for a positive response; we're looking for the power of Christ to be manifest in and through us. Help us here Lord. This is not easy. We need Your strength and wisdom. Amen

Walk with the King today and be a blessing.