Quote from Forum Archives on December 30, 2017, 10:32 pm

Posted by: balderman <balderman@...>

12 31        End of Year Review/Inventory      Philippians 3:12 – 15

 

Philippians 3:12-16 "I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.   I hope all of you who are mature Christians will agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you.  But we must be sure to obey the truth we have learned already."    NLT

 

Today is the very last day 2017 has to give.  At midnight tonight 2017 will end and the new year of 2018 will begin.

 

Doesn't sound fair?  Tough.

You still have 2017 New Year resolutions undone?  Tough

2017 work that needs completed?   TOUGH.

 

Business may be rushing even today to finish their 2017 inventory, paperwork, tax reports or even order fulfillments to meet their regulatory or contractual compliance because at Midnight 2017 ENDS.

 

The stock market, investors and leaders are waiting those end of year reports to measure the success or failure of the business and its future.

 

What about us?  Should we not pause from time to time and do a compete and thorough inventory of our lives?

 

Are we brave enough and curious enough to look deep into our finances, our heart, our mind and our Godliness and see what God already knows about our FAITHFULNESS?

 

1. We already know we are FAR FROM PERFECT
1. Taking time to reflect on areas that need attention is a smart use of time
2. Look BACK
2. We already know there is much work to be done in our lives in our pursuit to be the person Jesus gave His life for us to become for Him.
1. LEARN

                                                  i.      Good judgement and wisdom comes from experience

                                                ii.      Experience comes from mistakes and failures more than successes

3. We cannot change the mistakes of the past
1. Only God can erase our record of failures, missteps and open disobedience
4. What we can do is focus all of our energy on BETTER
1. LOOKING FORWARD to what lies ahead
2. STRAIN to reach the potential God has for us
3. RUNNING the race He has laid before us
4. RECEIVING THE PRIZE Jesus has prepared for us
5. Mature Christians will agree that we NEED to be BETTER Christians
1. No excuses and No spinning the truth
2. The WORD lays it all out clearly and we KNOW we need to improve
6. Some may say we are "good enough" or that God will accept us for new life "just as we are"
1. I believe that God will make the truth clear to you
2. We must REPENT, turn our lives toward God and away from the poor excuses of self.
7. Here is the simple, and unfortunately HARD truth, to the beginning of this process of repentance, renewal and personal revival:
1. We already KNOW what we need to know

                                                  i.      Wisdom comes when we LEARN and LIVE the lessons of LIFE

                                                ii.      To quote Yoda, "that library contained nothing that the girl Rey does not already possess."

                                              iii.      Read the Word of God we MUST

                                              iv.      LIVE the Word of God we READ is VITAL

2. We already have the TRUTH we need.
3. WE simply need to OBEY the truth of God and His Word we already have.
4. LIVE

 

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