How am I faring spiritually as I cross into the next year? How do I step forward? Do I attend the meetings of grace? As I do so, does my soul feed upon the gospel? Is the Lord Jesus Christ the broken bread that feeds my soul or do I eat the husks that the swine left? Do we love the house of the Lord? Is the preaching of His Word a source of ongoing comfort and delight for our souls? What adjustments must we make in our lives as we examine our records of the past year and step into the new?

Has my prayer (rightly called a thermometer of spiritual life) waxed cold? Do we have warm fellowship and a warm prayer life? Do our hearts walk with the Lord? Do our hearts go out in prayer as we are working?

I heard a man say that more people pray with a cap on than on their knees. My own heart has been most united with the Lord when I was on a tractor or in a car. I struggled with that in my early life: every time my heart was totally united with the Lord, Satan would say, "You cannot pray if you are not on your knees!" I would stop my tractor and get on my knees in the field, but by then the Lord was gone so far I could not find Him and Satan had gained a victory. Then once I was at the kitchen table and my heart was enjoying such blessed communion with the Lord, when Satan said, "All you have to do now is fall on your knees!" Then I picked up a little pamphlet on the table, which described how Isaac had walked in a field, meditating on the Lord, when he saw his wife. It also explained that David sat before the Lord, and others were in different postures before the Lord. Yet Satan will often interfere and say, "You must be on your knees to pray," but while you are getting in that posture of body, your posture of heart has decayed and the communion is over. The Lord taught me that He does not look at the posture of the body, but the posture of the heart.

When we are all by ourselves, do our hearts consider the large crop we will have, the millions we will make, and all the big accomplishments we will achieve, or do our hearts meditate on the Lord? As we begin a new year, where is our conversation? The thermometer of our spiritual life is our prayer life. If our prayer life has become cold, our spiritual life is cold. Prayer is the sharing of the thoughts and intents of your heart when you are alone with the Lord. By grace am I living prayerfully? Am I meditating dependently upon the Lord?

What is my present, daily comfort? What constitutes fruition and the comfort of my life? Is it my faithful Saviour, Jesus Christ? Do I find comfort in belonging to Him or do I find comfort in belonging to myself? Do I derive comfort from my own accomplishments and achievements? The Lord is jealous: He will not share His honor with another. No flesh can glory before God. John the Baptist appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses and the Lord Jesus Christ, but when his ministry was fulfilled, he did not glory in the flesh: he was cast into prison and his head was cut off and carried into a feast. John the Baptist was one of the most beloved saints of God, but he did not glory in the flesh. Where is our source of comfort?

Where do I get my guidance? Do I acknowledge God in all my ways and ask Him to direct my paths? When I want to know what decision to make in business or any other aspect of my life, is the Word of God the basis for my decision? Am I pursuing Him and His will through Scripture and through providence when confronted with a decision? 1CO 10:31 says, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 1CO 11:1 says, "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." Is part of my decision-making asking myself if I am walking in the footsteps of Christ? Would Christ have done what I am doing? Is this consistent with His example?

1CO 6:9-12 says, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any."

It is lawful to be a farmer, but will we be brought under the power of it such that it rules us? I used to be a farmer and it is possible that I could own a farm again, but if it brings me under its powe, I would rather not own one. Every decision we make must be made on the basis of whether it will control us or will we control it. Will it physically, spiritually, or emotionally overpower us? Will it steal away our hearts?

We must also ask ourselves if it will help others in a positive way or hurt them unnecessarily. We read in 1CO 10:33, "Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved." Will I become a stumbling block to my neighbor?

Once I had an opportunity to buy a cabin cruiser with an inboard motor worth $15,000 by paying the owner's remaining debt of $3,500. As soon as I saw that boat, I told the owner I would meet him the next day with $3,500 to buy it. That evening the Lord reminded me that if I bought that boat, my neighbors would be jealous, and I would offend God by being an offense to my neighbors, so I reasoned: "Then I'll buy it as an investment and re-sell it the next day," but I knew the Lord would not be pleased. So I met the man at the appointed time and said, "I have decided I will not buy your boat. Is there some other way I can help you out of your dilemma?"

He responded, "I have already told the banker that the money was coming. You are backing out if you do not give me the $3,500!"

I replied, "I only said that I do not want to buy the boat. I will give you the $3,500, but I will not buy it, because I do not want to offend the Lord. You can pay me back at some future date if you wish."

He was surprised, but said, "Give me a couple hours to make some phone calls." Later, he said, "I sold it to someone else for $6,000, so you are off the hook." Then he said (and this is what touched my heart), "I have never seen such a godly principle! You were willing to pay me $3,500 and not take the boat rather than offend your neighbor!"

I do not tell this story to boast, but to describe how the Lord came upon me so powerfully to show me how horrible it is to offend my neighbor. We must consider in every decision we make whether it will hurt another person. If we have excess or sufficient wealth and a neighbor is less successful, the last thing we should do, if we want a godly spirit, is put ourselves above that person. We must do what we can to help others, not harm them. Amen.

Teach me, my God and King,
In all things Thee to see,
And what I do in anything,
To do it as for Thee.

All may of Thee partake;
Nothing can be so mean
Which this movie, "For Thy sake,"
Will not grow bright and clean.

This is the famous stone
That turneth all to gold;
For that which God doth touch and own
Cannot for less be told.

George Herbert, 1633

See Also:

Malankara World New Year Supplement