How to Grow in 2017

by Mr. Douglas Bachorik

Life is filled with many activities. Some we choose, some are chosen for us, others just find their way into our lives. Sometimes we don’t even know what we should do, because we feel pulled in so many directions. When that happens, it is time to stop and ask ourselves – what does the Lord expect us to do? The Lord has many expectations of us, and we can find a summary of them in passages like Matt. 23:23.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

This echoes Micah 6:8: 

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
    
which echoes Deut. 10:12-13:

And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?

But what, specifically, does God want me to do, today? And tomorrow? One of the best places to look is Revelation 2 & 3, where the Lord Jesus Christ clearly states what is important in the life of a church, and in the lives of believers. He makes 55 commands and commendations, and He criticizes 9 activities. We can organize them into the following 8 ideas - the ‘Revelation list’:

1. ​Serve the Lord
2. Test everything you hear, no matter who says it
3. Consistently be faithful to God
4. Study to know God’s word
5. Obey God’s word
6. Love the Lord
7. Grow in the Lord (in your knowledge of His word, in your love for Him, in your service to Him)* 
8. Examine yourself, to see if you are doing the other 7 things

What a glorious calling each one of us has in the Lord – and this has nothing to do with what kind of job you have. These activities are not just for pastors, church workers, or missionaries. They are for all Christians!

When we look at this list, what we see is that we are called to be consumed by our relationship to our Saviour. The Lord Himself told us this in Matthew 22:37:

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Think of something that has consumed or obsessed you in the past. Every waking minute it’s on your mind. You make decisions about your day, your work, based upon the object of your obsession; if it is a person you even start thinking things like – ‘how does he like my hair’ or ‘what is her favorite flower’ or ‘he likes this kind of food so I will learn how to cook it’ or ‘she likes to do this, so I like that too’. We are supposed to be obsessed with God!

But, how can we fuel this obsession, which will help you do and be what the Lord expects?  Study at BJMBC!  That won’t hurt – in fact, it could help.

However, taking classes at a Bible college is not the answer to feeding a healthy obsession with God. Ultimately, it is your own daily time with the Lord, your service to Him, and your active participation in your local church that can help you do the things God wants you to do.

Can I suggest you keep a weekly spiritual log to help you see what you are doing? Think of it as a way to do #8 – examining yourself to see if you are on track with the other 7 items on the Revelation list. Each week answer these questions:

• “How did God’s Word work in my heart this week (through devotions, study, lectures, sermons)?  [This will help with #4, #6, and #7]
• “What did I pray for this week or what prayer did I see God answer this week?”
  [This will help with #1, #3, #5, and #7]
• “In what way have I shared the Gospel with the lost this week (through tract distribution, personal witnessing, Bible study, or preaching)?”  [This will help with #1, #3, and #5]
• In what area of my life is God trying to change me, or what is the lesson that God is trying to teach me?”  [#6 and #7]
• Was I present for S.S., morning worship, Sunday evening, and prayer meeting this week.”  [#3, #5, and #6]

Remember, many demands crowd into our lives. If we are going to do the things the Lord wants us to do, we probably need to leave some things out of our busy days.  Your list of ‘droppable’ activities and expectations will be as good as mine!  Facebook, Internet games, surfing or online chatting, constant texting, often staying up very late at night, just sitting around, videos and TV…  What should be on your “To Drop” list?  As you look at the year before you, don’t you think it would be great to fill it with the things God wants you to do? Activities that will ultimately bring glory to Him, and make you more like Him in this life, while you wait for Him to take you home.