As followers of Christ, our daily goal should be to become spiritually mature, consistently growing and becoming more like Him. It is easy for us to become distracted by the busyness of life and lose sight of our spiritual growth. I want to encourage you to strive to avoid becoming complacent or stagnant in your relationship with God. Keep moving forward and seek to be transformed into the likeness of Christ every day! We must remember that God has fulfilled His role by providing us with His presence, power, and provisions. The question is, are we fulfilling our role by demonstrating devotion, discipline, and diligence? This is why having personal accountability in our lives can be essential.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.
2 Peter 1:5-12–12 (ESV)
Notice the text:
- Make every effort
- Yours and increasing
- Be all the more diligent
- Confirm your calling and election
- For if you practice these qualities you will never fall
In order to move forward in our Christian walk, it is essential to daily evaluate our hearts. Below are some key questions that must be consistently addressed.
- Do I spend daily time in the Bible and in prayer? Do I meditate on the things of the Lord throughout the day?
- Do I enjoy corporate worship within the body of Christ? Is my church attendance consistent? Am I involved with a group of believers that are encouraging me to grow and change daily?
- Have my thoughts been pure? Do I expose myself to things that are not holy and pleasing to the Lord?
- Have I been completely above reproach in my financial dealings? Is my giving to the Lord’s Church a direct reflection of His daily provision and blessings upon my life?
- Have I spent quality relationship time with my family and friends?
- Do I do 100% of my best at my job, school, and etc?
- Have I told any half-truths or outright lies, putting myself in a better light than those around me?
- Have I tried to encourage someone with the message of Christ this week? Do I regularly invite people to church? When was the last time I told someone my STORY?
- Have I taken care of my body through physical exercise which includes proper eating and sleeping habits?
- Have I allowed any person or circumstances to rob me of my joy?
- Am I actively serving the Lord with my life? Is my life making a difference to those around me?
- Is my greatest desire in life to live for and please the Lord? Is living for the glory of God what motivates my thought and decision-making process?
Bee-Attitude
Blessed are you who daily examine your life, for you will grow into Christ-likeness.
Jon Beck
Jon Beck serves as the Pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Macon, Georgia. He also leads For The Coach, a ministry dedicated to impacting the lives of high school and college coaches with the Gospel. Jon and Sharon, who both hail from Lamar County, have been happily married for over 34 years. They are proud parents to 3 children and 8 grandchildren, with 2 more little ones on the way. Jon's ultimate goal in life is to encourage others to live faithfully for Jesus Christ. You can learn more about Jon and his ministry at pastorjonbeck.com.
