Reflection and Self-Examination

By David Sandlin

The New Year is upon us and more than likely we will think of something or many things that we want to improve on. We may establish New Year’s resolutions; thinking now is the time to make a fresh start. This is a common practice with every New Year that comes around. But before establishing new resolutions, it would be good for us to reflect upon the past year and examine our stewardship of the time and the blessings that God has provided. Let us see where we are spiritually.

Businesses evaluate their inventory and their finances at the end of the year (or the end of their fiscal year), as part of measuring their success or failure. Most companies operate from a computer system these days. Computers are considered a reliable way to keep track of information. But for various reasons, computers are not always completely reliable. The information in them can be faulty. So detailed examinations are done to ensure the success of the business.

The same is true for us concerning our relationship with God.

We need to constantly examine and evaluate ourselves to ensure our spiritual success. We may think that we are doing well in our spiritual life, we may be comfortable with our condition, but without examination we may veer off t rack; we may not see ourselves as we are. It is imperative that our lives be lined up with God's standard. John, by inspiration, tells us: "hereby we do know that we know Him (Christ), if we keep His commandments. He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so walk, even as He walked" (1 Jno. 2:3-6). He had already stated in the first chapter, "This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 Jno. 1:5-7). In our self-examination, we must compare our walk (manner of life) to that of Christ. Any other standard will cause us to lose our soul. As we have come to the end of this year, we need to ask ourselves...Am I more like Jesus now than I was at the beginning of last year? If I made resolutions, did I follow through with them? I'm not talking about "did I lose weight or exercise more." But as the Hebrews writer says, have I by reason of use exercised my senses to discern good and evil? (Heb. 5:14).

Are you more like Jesus now than you were at t he beginning of last year? Have you grown spiritually? From Col. 3:1-10, we understand that those who are risen with Christ seek those things which are above, and they put to death the desires of the flesh. Verse 10 says: "And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him"

Furthermore, in Rom. 8:14,29, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For whom He did fore- know, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."

Also in 1 Pet. 1:13-16 we see that obedient children of God are to be holy, for God is holy. Do we see the point ? We must be imitators of Christ.

In writing to the Corinthians, Paul says: "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves" (2 Cor. 13:5).

The church at Corinth seemed to be more interested in trying or testing Paul. False teachers had come into the church and had influenced their thinking to where they even questioned Paul and the message that he taught . Paul admonished them to prove themselves and examine themselves by the message of Jesus.

The Book of Haggai gives the account of God's instruction to the people of Judah who had returned from Babylonian captivity. These people had taken care of their own physical needs. They were dwelling in "ceiled houses," but the Lord's house lay in ruins. God says: "Consider your ways" (Hag. 1:5, 7). It was time for the people to get their priorities in order. They had put themselves first and neglected the things of God. They were called upon to consider their ways and repent. The Israelites would not be cleansed (made clean) simply by returning to the land and rebuilding the tem­ple. They were cleansed through repentance, through making a change. So, as we consider our ways, if we find uncleanness, the remedy is to make a change.

Do not focus on the physical things of life and give God whatever time and effort is left. Take care of the things of God, and your physi­cal needs will be met.

Not only do we need to examine ourselves and consider our ways, whether we are walk­ing in God's ways; we must apply ourselves to growth. There are consequences, which follow a stagnant and weak spiritual life. The writer of Hebrews says: "we ought to give more ear­nest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip" (Heb. 2:1). He further states that "strong meat belon­geth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exer­cised to discern both good and evil" (Heb. 5:14). If we fail to use and exercise our senses to dis­cern good and evil, if we fail to give earnest heed to the message of God, it is inevitable that we will become weak spiritually. "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the thing s of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Rom. 8:5, 6).

The parable of the talents recorded in Matt. 25:14-30 gives us a good lesson in stew­ardship and spiritual growth. Paul Earnhart re­fers to this parable with the phrase "use it or lose it." The servants who used their allotment well were considered "good and faithful ser­vants." But the servant who did not use his tal­ent well was called wicked and slothful. The term "talent" does not directly refer to an abil­ity, but the application can certainly be made. Whatever amount of money, ability or oppor­tunity has been given to us must be used prop­erly. When we waste our opportunities and our abilities, when we fail to grow spiritually, we become the wicked and slothful servant.

I would like to encourage each one of us to take the time to make a list of our strengths and weaknesses. Look at ourselves through God's eyes (look into the mirror of the perfect law of liberty (Jas. 1:25). Sometimes we look at the whole of ourselves and we feel good about ourselves. Sometimes we may feel good about the congregation that we are a part of, and therefore we assume ourselves to be doing well. A congregation is only as strong as the people that make it up. We all have strengths that we can build on and we have weaknesses that we are obligated to correct. May we exam­ine ourselves and determine to conform our­selves to Christ. &

The Eternal Cliff

By Kent Heaton

The end of the year drama in Washington concluded with President Obama signing into law a deal averting the “fiscal cliff” which threatened the financial and political economy of America. Fear loomed in the early hours of the New Year if the House and Senate failed to find a solution to the gridlock of political wrangling and debate over tax increases and spending cuts. With the normal fashion of the rabid media blitz driving the fears of a looming disaster the country sighs a moment of relief before the continuing crisis of prosperity engulfs every home. America has pulled itself back from an uncertain future as described in falling off a cliff. But there is still another cliff that emerges on the horizon for all men – an eternal cliff.

There is a precipice that is more to be feared than a fiscal cliff, political cliff or literally falling off a mountain cliff. Death is the agent that carries one into a world where there is no return. When life is over and one falls over the cliff of time into the chasm of eternity there are greater consequences than whether taxes go up or down or money is cut from large budgets or small budgets. The certainty of this cliff is found in Hebrews 9:26, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” The “after this” is the eternal cliff.

The rich man and Lazarus fell over this eternal cliff in Luke 16:19-31. “So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried” (Luke 16:22). This cliff is no respecter of person. You can wear expensive clothes every day and make incredible amounts of money living at the high end of prosperity and die just like the fellow at the front gate who is a beggar starving to death ill with the misery of humanity. The President can sign a bill into law averting the fiscal cliff but no man will change the reality of an eternal cliff that awaits all men.

If men were more concerned about life beyond the grave than living beyond the dollar bill what a difference the world would be. Sadly, the eyes of man are closed by the deceiver of this world. Paul writes, “Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Satan does not want man to see the pit he is taking most men (Matthew 7:13-14). There would be greater fear of falling off the eternal pit if we could fully grasp the reality of “everlasting punishment” (Matthew 25:46).

Jesus “signed a bill” nearly two thousand years ago that extended to all men His Father’s grace to avert the eternal cliff of doom. With the blood of God’s Son humanity was offered the chance to pull back from the fear of death and punishment of a Just God. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). What Jesus did on the cross is not a temporary measure but an eternal promise that guarantees inheritance to all who will accept the terms of His law (Ephesians 1:14; Matthew 7:21-23).

Peter reminds us the world will come to an end (2 Peter 3). When that day happens (and it will), no one will worry about the fiscal cliff. Everyone will know there is an eternal cliff and the few (Matthew 20:16) will have joy (2 Thessalonians 1:10) but the vast majority of men who did not believe in the eternal cliff will know the fear of the Lord. &