Ending The Year Well

by Pastor Mark
December 31, 2018

Reviewing 2018

As we come to the end of 2018, it is good for us to take time to review the year. Another year has come and will end soon. It is timely for us to evaluate for ourselves how this year has been. There are a number of questions that we want to raise for ourselves that may help us to evaluate the year better.

  1. How has the Lord blessed us this year?
  2. In what way have we deepen our relationship with the Lord?
  3. How have we grown in our faith?
  4. To what extent have we increased our knowledge of the Lord and His Word?
  5. How much have we developed our service to the Lord this year?

These are just some questions that I asked myself as I personally evaluated my own life and service to the Lord. I have been blessed with many things through the Lord’s blessings…especially with gaining a deeper knowledge of Him and His Word. Some of these lessons have made a real impact on my life.

Lessons for life

Let me highlight two of these lessons.

1. Is anything too hard of the Lord? (Gen 18:14; Jer 32:27)

This was God’s promise to His servants who were given seemingly impossible tasks to fulfil. Whether it was Abraham, Moses or Jeremiah, they were called to fulfil great challenges. While all of them had the problem of unbelief to overcome, God’s promise assured them of His power to overcome anything. I remember Pastor Charles preaching of the need for a vibrant faith to believe that nothing is too hard for the Lord. For him, it was to believe in something for 45 years…in Bethany. He dared to believe and nothing has been too hard for the Lord. For me personally, this promise “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” has been in my mind and heart consistently. In facing any challenge in life and ministry, I’ve learnt to believe that nothing is too hard for the Lord who has proven this to be true again and again.

2. Seek my face (Ps 25, 27)

Another vital lesson that I have learnt is about seeking the Lord. We tend to seek God to ask for different things. The challenge about seeking God is to seek His face. David wrote, “When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.” (Ps 27:8) David learnt to seek God for all that He is first rather than to just ask for things. I have been learning what it means to enjoy being in the presence of the Lord as we seek Him.

At the same time, I was struck by how David learnt to seek God for His leading and guidance, “Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me,” (Ps 25:4,5) David learnt to seek the Lord to show him the way. It is not about asking the Lord for a “Yes” or “No” answer as we lay our options before the Lord. We do not want to even determine any options but rather to plead for the Lord to show us His ways…which may go beyond our options. This is something that I’ve learnt to do as I pray to the Lord for His guidance in dealing with a problem. This is what I would pray for as I prepare to seek the Lord’s leading in ministering His Word. It is vital to learn to trust the Lord to show us His ways. Let us review the lessons that have helped us grow in terms of our faith for our life and ministry. Let us end the year thanking God for the blessings of His Word.

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