Happy New Year, 2022! The first week of January is the perfect time to set new goals for the coming year. Success in any endeavor requires that you know where you’re going and that means you need to have a plan to get there. It’s a rare event when someone blindly stumbles into success. I don’t know anyone who has. You need to plan your work and then work your plan in order to be successful. For Christians the new year is also a good time to reflect on the past year and evaluate our contributions to the kingdom of God and our service to God. The main reason God put us on this earth is to make the free will decision to serve God or Satan. Those who choose to serve God are given eternal life in heaven by God the Father, through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Philippians 3:20 – For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 4:4 – Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
Proverbs 23:12 – Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge.
Philippians 4:6 – Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
Why doesn’t God take us home to heaven the moment we’re saved? The answer is God has a second reason for leaving us here on earth. All believers are commanded to witness the gospel of Christ to all peoples and all nations. Before Jesus ascended to heaven from the Mount of Olives he gave this “Great Commission” to his disciples to carry out. As believers we automatically become disciples of Christ and witnessing for Christ then becomes our number one duty in service to God. Sharing the gospel message will always be our top priority in life. God made us all and loves us all equally. God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell so he reaches out to nonbelievers through the saints (us) in order to save as many as he can for the kingdom of God. Someone helped save us and we owe it to God to help save all we can. It’s our reasonable service to our Father in heaven.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 – For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Romans 12:1 – I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
1 Corinthians 15:58 – Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Proverbs 11:30 – The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
God leaves us here on earth to do good works that bring honor and glory to God. When we witness for Christ we are doing the main thing, the number one “good work” for God. As a Christian if we are not witnessing for Christ in some form or fashion then any other good work we may offer up to God is like a filthy rag. It is meaningless. The Bible makes it clear that although we become citizens of heaven upon salvation, God purposely leaves us on earth to do the work of God. People don’t seem to understand what that means. People need to understand the implications of accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It means we acknowledge Jesus as our master and embrace our position as a servant of God. Being a servant of God brings with it certain responsibilities on our part that we are duty bound to perform. All believers are to obey the commands of God contained in the Bible. Obedience to the word of God is the key to pleasing God.
Matthew 28:19-20 – (Jesus speaking) – Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
1 Corinthians 6:20 – For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Timothy 4:1-2 – I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
Colossians 4:2 – Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.
You can’t obey what you don’t know so it’s imperative that all Christians read God’s Word every day and study it so they have the knowledge, understanding and wisdom to serve God effectively. Every one of us sins before God every day because of our sin nature inherited from Adam. We are dust; we are weak. That’s why it’s critical we come before God daily in prayer to ask forgiveness for our daily sins and also ask God to strengthen us through his Holy Spirit so we can sin less over time and do the good works God has planned for us since the foundation of the world. Without the power of God on the inside of us we can do nothing. We must be humble before the throne of grace in order for God to hear our prayers because God is holy.
James 4:10 – Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
1 Timothy 2:8 – I desire therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
In my Bible guide I counted 129 direct commands from God that are in the Bible that believers are to obey (some were redundant). How many of God’s commands can you name off the top of your head? I’ll bet not many. 90% of Christians can’t name more than about fifteen of God’s commandments. How do I know this? Studies have shown that only about 10% of Christians who attend church regularly have read the entire Bible and fewer still read their Bibles daily and study it as God commands. How can you know what God expects of you if you don’t delve into the word of God? So if you’re a believer what have you done in the past year to please the Lord? What commandments of God have you obeyed on a consistent basis? Have you asked God to forgive your sins daily or did you just let them pile up? How have you contributed to the kingdom of God?
1 Timothy 4:13 – Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
Titus 2:7 – In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility.
1 Peter 1:17 – And if you call on the Father who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear.
James 4:2 – Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
We are all commanded to share the gospel of Christ with all peoples and nations. That is the number one good work for God and without it all other works for God are meaningless. As we witness for Christ we are also to do other good works such as helping the poor, the needy, the orphan and the widow. As we emulate Christ by our actions others will see the light of God by what we do and be attracted by the gospel message of Jesus Christ. The life of Jesus was an example of what we are to do as Christians. Believers need to study the life of Jesus so we can emulate all that he did. As we emulate what Jesus did during his three and a half years of earthly ministry we become more Christlike in the eyes of God, which is part of God’s plan for us. Plan your work for God and then work your plan.
Hebrews 6:10 – For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
Galatians 6:9-10 – And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Hebrews 12:28-29 – Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
Proverbs 14:25 – A true witness delivers souls, but a deceitful witness speaks lies.
I know I’ve gotten a little off track so let’s return to the original question. Looking back on 2021 how have you contributed to the kingdom of God? How many people have you witnessed to? How many people did you save? What other good works have you done? How much money did you give to Charity? I keep track of the number of people I share the gospel with and I keep a log of the charities I donate to during the year and the amount given so that I can review the totals as part of my reasonable service to God. When you help someone less fortunate the Bible says it’s as though you’re helping Jesus himself. Keep that in mind and give all you can.
1 John 3:17 – But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
Ephesians 4:28 – Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
James 1:17 – For every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Colossians 3:25 – But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.
Remember that 10% of your net income should be spent on God’s work as your required tithe to the Lord. When you die all your money in the bank is of no use to you. You can’t take it with you. The tax man will take his share. Others will spend the rest of the money you earned on things you do not approve of. The only way you get to keep your money is if you give it all back to God in some way. Pay your money forward into your heavenly bank account by using it to serve the kingdom of God. All you have belongs to God anyway so when you give to God you’re just giving God what is already his. God is testing you with this to see if you’re a good steward of the blessings he has bestowed upon you. Don’t fail God. What other activities did you do that helped people in need? Did you volunteer any of your time to help those less fortunate than yourself? I know the covid-19 pandemic impacts us all and curtails our good works to some degree but there are always opportunities to serve God if we look for them and our heart is open to the possibilities before us.
Titus 3:8 – This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.
2 Corinthians 9:6 – But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Galatians 6:7 – Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
My witnessing for Christ is now primarily through my blog site: www.onemoreforjesus.net. I supplement my “passive witnessing” by handing out Christian tracts whenever I go out to places like Walmart, the grocery store and to the doctor’s office. I buy my Christian tracts 1000 at a time from chick.com. The cartoon booklets contain the gospel message and includes the sinner’s prayer at the end. People have been saved unto eternal life through just reading Christian tracts. My purpose is to broadcast the gospel seed for those whom God has convicted of their sin. It’s rare for anyone to be saved the first time they hear the gospel message. Most of the time people need to hear the gospel message at least 15-20 times before they finally accept God’s saving grace unto eternal life. God expects us to persevere in spreading the gospel seed and each time we do we become a link in the salvation chain for that person who eventually does become a believer. The good part in all this is that God is generous to a fault and he will equally reward both the reaper of that soul for the kingdom of God and all those sowers of the gospel seed who crossed that person’s path leading up their salvation. I don’t know exactly what God’s reward for us will be when we get to heaven but I do know it’ll be more than we can possibly imagine.
Jeremiah 20:9 – Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.
1 Corinthians 2:9 – Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.
Hebrews 13:15-16 – Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Romans 8:1 – There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
I started my Christian blog site over two years ago (December 2019) and I finished 2021 with 569 posted blogs. That works out to an average of over 22 blogs a month. I started with a flourish because I had all this pent up love and excitement for God and his word. I knew a great secret and I couldn’t keep it in. I was compelled by the Holy Spirit to share my witness with anyone who would listen, much like the prophet Jeremiah who also couldn’t withhold the truth of God from his people. As my blogs have evolved over time they have become much longer and less frequent. I’ve been averaging two blogs a month lately and that seems about the right pace going forward. The spiritual growth rate of ever person is different but the important thing is to just persevere. Everyone’s walk with God is one on one. Although our race with God is unique, God is fair to everyone and he gives us all of us the same chance to find God and his saving grace. The playing field is level for everyone no matter where you are in the world or what century you lived in. God is ready to meet you halfway so don’t blame God if you don’t find him. You have your chance and that’s all you can ask for. Don’t blame God for any of your inadequacies. It’s up to you to get off your butt and go find God and not vice versa.
Romans 1:20 – For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.
Psalm 19:1 – The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.
Isaiah 1:18 – Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Isaiah 45:22 – Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.
Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.