Bible Reading: Zechariah 13-14; Revelation 21.
Memory Verse: “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Revelation 21:27 (KJV) .
Tomorrow is the last day of the year 2023 and so it makes sense to review the year with a view to identifying areas of shortcomings and addressing them to forestall a repeat. One of such critical areas is in your study of the word of God. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” How well did you study the scripture this year? Study is explained by Webster’s dictionary as “ to fix the mind closely upon a subject; to muse; to dwell upon in thought.” So this requires more attention than reading. But how many chapters of the Bible did you read and study. Beyond studying, the Bible also stresses the beauty of meditation on the word of God. Meditation is explained in Webster’s dictionary as “Close or continued thought; the turning or revolving of a subject in the mind; serious contemplation.” This is a higher level than studying. It involves more attention to the verses being studied with a view to applying it to real life situation. How many verses of the Bible have you meditated on this year? God said to Joshua, the new leader of Israel after the death of Moses in Joshua 1:8 (KJV), “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” And how many did you memorise such that you can pray with it without having to open the Bible?
Secondly, do you have a time you devote to God as a quiet time with your maker. This is the period, you are to praise God, study your devotional, and pray to him. It could be early in the morning before you set out for the day or it could be late at night before you sleep but it should be a period when you communicate with your God and learn more about him. During this period, God talks with you as you communicate with him. If you have not set a time aside for it this year, you need to plan for it now so that you can start with it in the new year. The period depends on your intimacy with God. It may be for fifteen or thirty minutes. It could also be for one or more hours. As you fellowship with God, you may have cause to alter the length of time to deepen your relationship with Him. In addition to this you may have times in the day that you pray to God individually or collectively with other brethren. Always remember that God asks us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV) to “Pray without ceasing.”
Thirdly, you need to check how spiritually fruitful you have been. This year, how many people did you preach the gospel to? It could be physically or electronically using any of the social medium. What is critical is that you tell others about Christ and follow them up to ensure they abide in Christ. You don’t have to be a church worker or minister to win souls for God. Proverbs 11:30 (KJV) says “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.”
Above it all, you need to examine yourself how well have you lived in obedience to the word of God. No matter the word of God that you know, if you do not put it to practice by living holy, it does not benefit you. God is interested in your holiness as that will be the basis of your name being in the book of life which is the condition for making it to heaven. Revelation 21:27 (KJV) says “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
Action Point:
Identify areas requiring improvement in your life and take action to correct them.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero