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Friday, November 18, 2011

Knowing where you are

I’m guessing it’s a pretty safe assumption that everyone finds themselves questioning their faith at some time or another. It’s the human condition, second guessing ourselves, experiencing feelings of insecurity. To say you NEVER question but have constant faith and immovable belief? Even Paul exhorts in I Corinthians 11:28 that we should examine ourselves. He is specifically referring to the state of your heart at receiving Communion or the Lords Supper, but the exhortation holds true of our general walk as a Christian individual as well.

I’m not talking here about questioning faith in the sense of whether God IS, or if Jesus died for your sins. I’m referring to the day by day, focused living in such a manner that you are continually a witness for Jesus in your words and your deeds as well as keeping that guard on your heart as Proverbs 4:23 warns us to do.

I’m talking about taking time to re-assess where you are, to re-focus where you’re going and to re-evaluate how you’re getting there! You wouldn’t set out on a trip you’ve never taken before and never check that your still following the directions to get there, would you? The idea that we set things in motion once and never look at them again is exactly the kind of thing that gets people into trouble. There are so many factors involved in living life that constant re-determinations are always in order!

When we start on our Christian walk, a certain set of circumstances are in place. As we grow and mature as a Christian, new circumstances come into being and so changes must be made if we want to continue to grow! The church you began in may or may not continue to be the best place for you to serve, God may call you to different areas of service, like Missions or into ministry as a Pastor yourself.

Whether every few months or every few years, it makes good sense to take some time out from the everyday demands of life and set aside specific time to:

RE-ASSESS; by “where you are”, I mean the state of your heart. Is Jesus still your first love? Are you being obedient to Him in the manner you are conducting your life?

RE-FOCUS; “where you’re going” refers to what you are doing – your actions and behaviors. Are you on track with the desires God has put in your heart? Is what you are doing accomplishing Gods will in your life? Is it bringing you the joy and peace you desire?

RE-EVALUATE; “how you are getting there” corresponds directly to you’re the actions you are taking, the words you are speaking and the belief system you hold in your heart. To re-evaluate is to “examine” yourself, to check with the Lord about the things in your heart. Often as we grow in understanding and experience, if we take another look at things we’ve believed and why or how we believe it, change may be in order. God never changes, but He intends that we are continually changing from glory to glory to more perfectly reflect His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

In this journey called LIFE, with God’s Word as our map or GPS along with a humble heart to obey direction and earnest prayer to seek that direction, we’re certain to please our Lord and fulfill the exhortation of the Apostle Paul to “walk worthy of the calling with which we are called.” (Ephesians 4:1)
LET THE JOURNEY BE JOYFUL! MAKE IT COUNT FOR CHRIST!