One of the great challenges of our day is staying focused on the things that really matter. We are preoccupied with our lives and surviving the daily grind. We seem to manage the urgent, but we often miss the important. As I have considered these things lately, I can see how easy it might be to finish this earthly race short of our potential–especially if we do not take the time to regularly evaluate our lives against the Biblical standard.
As Christians we are called to stay focused, and periodic evaluations are helpful as we seek to finish our races well! Professionally, most of us are required to evaluate our job performance on a regular schedule, and as God’s people, we also need to evaluate our spiritual lives on a regular basis. There is simply no way to finish our spiritual lives well if we do not regularly evaluate them.
As we close 2021 and move into 2022, let me encourage each of us to take some time to evaluate where we need to grow and develop in our walks with Christ. Do a personal inventory. Answer questions like this one, “Will the things I am doing today get me to where I want to be in my spiritual development tomorrow?” If not, then set a change of course. I am challenged by the words of the Apostle Paul who said at the end of his life: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith,” (II Tim. 4:7). May God give us the grace to be able to live our lives in such a way that we may say the same for His Glory!