A Time for Reflection
The end of May brings us closer to the end of the school year for students and teachers. This is an important time for educational research, where we take time to collect information for reviewing the progress that students and programs have made during the previous year. This review typically includes two different aspects: mastery and growth.
This month is an excellent opportunity to take time to review the work that God has been doing over the past months in transforming us into who He designed us to be.
Just as we use mastery and growth in educational research to evaluate student progress, we can use the same in the evaluation of God’s work in our lives.
Mastery Reflection
When looking at mastery, we are evaluating how close we are to a specific goal or criteria. The goal of God’s work in our lives is the example of Jesus.
"Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is."
1 John 3: 2
We were designed as God’s creation, to reflect His nature…His identity. This is exactly what Jesus came to do while living with us, to show us who God is through both His life and His sacrifice.
As we consider the work of God in our lives in terms of mastery, the question that we need to ask is:
- How are we doing in reflecting the identity of God in our lives?
- How well do our principles align with the truth of God that He has provided?
- How well do our perspectives reflect God’s point of view?
- How well do our purposes demonstrate that we are living by God’s purposes?
- How well do we make choices based on priorities that reflect God’s priorities?
If we honestly take time to reflect on how well we reflect God’s identity, we will come to the realization that there is still work that God wants to do in our life. At the same time, we should recognize the work that God has been doing in our lives. Hopefully, we see that we are not the same as we were at the beginning of the year, that He has been working to transform who we are into His reflection.
Growth Reflection
This takes us to the second way of reviewing God’s work in our lives, growth. Using growth, we are evaluating whether we are working with God each day to become who we were meant to be.
And He said to all, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”
Luke 9:23
This process of transformation is a daily process, where we see small changes each day.
What is the principle, perspective, purpose, or priority that God is currently wanting to change?
What principles, perspectives, purposes, and priorities has God recently changed in your identity?
Avoid the Unexamined Life
It is easy to just go through life on automatic, but it is important to take time to reflect and examine God’s work in our lives.
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 2 Corinthians 13:5
As we reflect and recognize God’s work in transforming our identity, we are glorifying Him through the progressive reflection of His glory and celebration of both our salvation and sanctification.
It is important to share what God is doing in your life with others, because it both encourages them in their walk with God and brings God glory.
Reply to this email with how God has been working in your life to build up this community people following God.
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