Are you on track?

In 2 Kings 22, we read the story of how young King Josiah spearheaded some renovations in the temple building, and this led to the discovery of a dusty old book: the Book of the Law or Book of the Covenant that had lain lost and neglected for many years. When Josiah sat down to read this old book (verses 11 - 13) he was devasted to realise how far the people had drifted from obedience to God, and he began to grieve for how he and his people had broken God’s heart.

I remember, back in the 1980s, sharing this story in a children’s talk in my home church. Some renovations had just been done to our church building, and I’d been invited to bring a short message in a family service at the start of a new year. I remember how adults and children alike watched as I discovered a huge old book hidden at the front of the church and then proceded to blow the dust off it. (The “dust” was actually talcum powder that I’d put there in advance.) My challenge to the congregation was to rediscover and read God’s Book in the new year, and not to leave it dusty and neglected on a bookshelf in their home. If we’re not reading the Bible regularly, it’s hard to keep checking whether we’re “on track” in living for God.

There are other ways, too, that we can evaluate how we’re doing and decide whether any mid-course adjustments need to be made. This week, for example, with the leadership development course behind us now, I’ve come to the time of year where I usually take some time to re-read the personal goals I wrote at the beginning of January and to evaluate how things are going. This year I had goals relating to my ministry and missions involvement, as well as a number of personal goals relating to my prayer life, my health, my relationships, and even to improving my Spanish. It was good to be able to take an hour or so to “check in” with God and evaluate whetherI’m on track and whether I’ve really been growing in those areas He showed me at the beginning of the year.

What sort of things do you have in place to check that you’re growing in obedience and maturing in your relationship with God? If we’re not regularly and intentionally evaluating our lives, it could be easy to drift far off mark - just like the Israelites had done in the time of King Josiah. Why not take some time this month to listen to God and consider what growth goals He has for you in the last six months of this year?