Minister Riley Nelson
Richmond Hill Church of Christ
The New Year has begun, and it is a good time to reflect on what has gone on in the year passed. Most will do this about school, jobs, finances, etc., and it is good to do those things. But let us not forget to look at our spiritual well-being, and what has happened to it over the course of a year. Monetary things have their place, but spiritual things should be seen as the most important and most precious of all things. Eternity awaits each and every person. God wants all to be saved. He will not make a person obey Him, but that is His wish.
Did your soul grow last year? Many are searching for larger size clothes to compensate for the bodying growing in the past year. What about the soul? Peter wrote “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18). Physical bodies grew because of the food enjoyed during the year. How much spiritual food was “digested”? Hopefully a good portion of “the word” was taken in and helped Christians grow as children of God. The growth might have come by one obeying the gospel of Christ. It may have been in realizing the need and responsibility to please God by obedience. Perhaps the growth came in the form of seeing the need to help one’s fellow man. What ever it may have been, growth should have occurred.
Are you stronger spiritually now than you were at the beginning of the 2022? Strength is something that has to be acquired, it does not just happen. In sports athletes spend hours exercising to build muscle mass and to get stronger. The Lord needs those who are strong and who are willing to stand firm on His word, not willing to compromise with the world or with those in the Church who would depart from the truth. “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong (I Cor. 16:13). The stronger one becomes the easier one will find living the life of a true follower of God really is. One needs to realize that not compromising with those who would fail to follow the truth of God’s word takes a lot of strength.
The study of God’s word is the only thing that will help one to become stronger as a Christian. One should consider a simple plan of reading the Bible everyday or spending time studying a certain subject found in God’s word. There are many reading plans to be found. Most Bible programs have a reading plan that one can follow. The reading will most likely cause one to want to study more to understand the topics found in the Bible. Paul wrote, “Study to show thyself approved unto God…” (2 Tim. 2:15). One might ask, “How much time do I spend on social media compared to the time spent studying or even reading the Bible?” Think how much knowledge could be gained if one spent even half that time in the Bible rather than on the phone.
The dedicated study of the word will lead to a faith that will cause one to want to please God (Heb. 11:6). When a person comes to the knowledge that they are in sin and need saving, God and His word have the answer. Many “tough guys” have shed tears knowing they are lost, and God loved them enough to give His Son for their salvation. All they have to do is obey the gospel. Why not determine to start 2023 as a Christian. Study the Bible, let your faith develop, turn from sin, confess Jesus as God’s Son, have your sins washed clean in baptism, and live the rest of your life for God. It can be a great year, being a child of God.