Taking Inventory

By Joe Slater       Businesses may take inventory at the first of the year for tax purposes or to see if the company was profitable last year. What about you and me? How did we do last year? What adjustments do we need to make? Several matters call for an inventory:     1. Bible study (not just reading, but study). Both public and private study instill God’s word into our hearts. We ought to be known as walking Bibles! It can be so, but not without serious Bible study.     2. Prayer. “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:3). “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Need we say more?     3. Attendance. Satan has used the pandemic to condition us into thinking in-person attendance is a mere option. For the truly ill, watching the service on an electronic device is helpful. I know that by experience! Nevertheless, when healthy, active people simply choose not to show up, Scripture calls it sin (Hebrews 10:26). Lame excuses, justifications, and rationalizations will never solve this!     4. Giving. God doesn’t “need” anything from us (Acts 17:25). Giving has always been an indication of love for God. The poorest Jew under the Law gave ten percent of his gross income (not what was left after paying the bills). Most Jews gave a good deal more. Under the New Covenant we are to give as God has prospered us (1 Corinthians 16:2). How would your income be affected if God prospered you in proportion to the generosity of your giving?     5. Good works. You can name dozens of bad things you haven’t done. That’s great? Now, what good works have you done? That’s one purpose God has for you in Christ (Ephesians 2:10).     It’s time to take inventory!

- Joe Slater serves as minister of the Church of Christ in Justin, TX. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://justinchurchofchrist.com