Annual Audit

2009 is coming to an end. Companies do their annual audit. They see how much profit they have made. Did they achieve according to the goals they have set at the beginning of the year. They will make corrections and have a different strategy for the coming year.

Believers too have to make an audit of their Christian Life. What was the commitments made at the beginning of the year and have they fulfilled it during this year. As we come to end of the year, let us ask one question……How much of Christ have we been able to reflect in our lives? Have we become one more step to be like Christ?  

People become emotional at the end of the year, making new decisions, commitments and resolutions. When they evaluate themselves they consider the time and resources they have wasted. They think of the resolutions made at the beginning of the year that they have broken.

All of us have failed in our commitment made at the beginning of the year.  Paul says in Philippians 3:13-14, “Forgetting what is behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.” Our failures are etched on our hearts. The failures of the past year may be painful. We are asked to forget the past and strive towards the future. 

In Christian life, we remember the past, but do not dwell there. We must not repeat the mistakes that we have committed. We are asked to move forward, to reach our goal to be like Christ. To strive for heaven means to think of heavenly matters, to be like Christ. We must have Him as our role model. He is worth imitating.

2010 we all will live daily with an expectation of the glorious appearance of our Lord Jesus and prepare ourselves to meet Him in the air.

“When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there”

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I need Thee

Construction of a house is an essential and important requirement in everyone’s life. Building a house is the basic necessity of a man. 

Jesus taught us about two men who built their houses, one upon the rock and the other on the sand.  There were many similarities as we look at the super structure of the house but when the rain came it revealed the real state. The house which was built upon the rock stood firm and on the sand fell flat. We too are in a construction job, constructing our lives with the help of the Holy Spirit upon the rock of our salvation, Jesus Christ.   However, we have been deceived by Satan by being ritualistic and following traditions like attending meetings when there is no other engagements,  giving for the Lord’s work but spending little time in prayer, reading the Bible conveniently, taking part of the Lord’s table etc. Let’s look at our heart’s condition and our walk with the Lord.  Do we live a Christ centered life based on spiritual values?

 I need Thee, O I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
O bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee

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Our Goal in life

Physical growth of the child is the top most concern of every parent. When a child is born, every parent wants to see the child grow.  If the child does not grow, the parent is worried. The same can be said of Christian growth. When we have been born again, we were ‘spiritual babes’. God wants to see us grow. He wants to see us digest heavy stuff, but many times we are not able to. 

Paul had a desire to ‘know Christ’ (Phil 3:10). He had met Jesus on the way to Damascus. But now he expresses his goal in life, which is to know more of Christ. There is a difference in meeting and knowing. We meet many people, but those whom we are interested, we will know in detail. Paul had this goal, to know the One who made the stars, the One who created animals and birds, the One who created the starry skies, the sun and moon. 

To know a person is to have a genuine interest. Only by spending quality time can we get to know the person. A meaningful and progressive relationship is built, and a lifetime association is got. 

This is what Christian growth is all about. It is not just reading of Christian books and gaining ‘head knowledge’. Christian growth is experiencing Christ in the sorrows and joys of life. To know Christ intimately, in success and failures, in ups and down, in trials and temptation and in pains and happy situations. 

This must be our goal in life and growing to become more like Him. We must not be ‘spiritual dwarfs’, but mature Christians.

 Dear Lord, help us to know You more closer in our lives.  Amen

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Change……

We are living in a world that always welcomes change.  President Obama’s election campaign was based on ‘CHANGE’.  Jesus teaches us about inward change that brings outward results. We sing, “What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought, since Jesus came into my heart”. But if we make an attempt to write down the changes that took place in our life since we were born again, we struggle with it. 

Let us look at the changes that Jesus expects from us by considering the life style of His disciples in Mat. 4:18-22.

1. Change in perspective of life.  Fishermen became fishers of men.  In order to follow Jesus they had to leave their net, boat and even their own father.  Unless we leave behind our old habits, nature and worldly care, we will not be able to follow Jesus whole heartedly.

2. Immediate Action.  They immediately followed Jesus without any doubts or fears.  Often, we have a lukewarm approach towards our old nature and habits even though the Holy Spirit convinced us of it many times.  It is important for a child of God to make an action plan when the Holy Spirit convinces us to eliminate our old nature and habits and implement them immediately. It helps us to be the partakers of His divine nature. (2 Pet 1:4)

3. Complete Obedience. The word of God does not teach us intellectual obedience, but complete submission towards His will.  According to human point of view the disciples would have clarified certain things before they took the step of obedience. We learn here – obedience by faith .

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