Reflections

Well, the reestablishment of my weekly blog has been well received. Thanks for all the kind comments I’ve heard and seen. Each Monday morning, as I sit down at my computer, I take a moment to plan out my week and figure out what will fit and what won’t. I have finally found a nifty little application that syncs with all my devices (iPad, iPhone, and MacBook) and allows me to keep my days in order. It’s called Things, and thats what I deal with everyday—things! I’ve used Apple’s software in the past, but it keeps getting more and more buggy as they continue to strip away features I depended on. However, I am satisfied to look elsewhere for my applications now.

Yes, Mondays are my time to reflect. One, on what I accomplished last week and, two, on what I need to accomplish this week. Through the week there are other things I contemplate, but Mondays are about lists and to-do’s, victories and failures. This blog is one of those to-do’s. It informs you, but it also helps me to sort out what is really on my heart and mind each week. It is especially useful after our Sunday services. I glean from what God did and what I learned and convey them to our people. I not only post this blog on our website and link to it on Facebook, I also print them out for those who do not have internet access.

I keep a daily journal, of sorts, but I mainly write in it what I learn from my daily Bible readings. Sometimes I include statements the Lord has laid on my heart and quotes I hear which have deeply impacted my thought life. My blog however is a hodgepodge of those inputs and it gives me a place to output the product of those things I have taken in through the previous week.

This brings me to what I want to share today—reflection. There are many ways to define the word reflection, but the simplest of them deals with light. I believe why we use the word concerning our thoughts is because thinking gives us light on the things around us. The essence of a reflection is light returning back to you 
giving you an image of yourself. However, depending upon what reflects that light, you might get a 
distorted image. Therefore this is important to consider when thinking about yourself and your accomplishments. Our reflections can get distorted if we do not have an accurate mirror in which to see ourselves.

The book of James talks about this. In James 1:23-25 it says, 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.” I try to make this the basis of my reflection. I compare my thoughts, actions, and words from the previous week to what the Word says about what I thought, did, or said. Remember, this is reflection, not self-condemnation. 
I look for things I could have done better. I ask forgiveness for where I let my tongue wag out of control of the Spirit. I check my thought life and bring it back into subjection to what the Word of God says about me, not what I feel. I reject the enemy’s accusations and replace them with the image God has impressed upon my heart through the Scriptures.

In some respects, this is a daily process, but every Sunday in church I feel I get a new lease on life and I want to sit down and plan out my new week in a way that glorifies the Lord—spirit, soul, and body. Blogging helps, journaling helps, and meditation helps, but the greatest help comes through daily prayer and study of God’s Word. That is also why I am so blessed to have the Prayer Tower at Calvary to retreat to each morning. 
I pray there in a way that I do no where else. It is intimate, it is thought provoking, and it is revealing of my attitudes and motives. My times in prayer there have greatly impacted my life and ministry.

Finally, another aspect of reflection is that a mirror image turns things around. I believe more people ought to make reflection more a part of their spiritual disciplines. Too often we act outside of the peace God has given to guide us. We don’t feel right about things, but we are so pressed we just do them without taking the time to meditate on them and compare our thoughts, actions, and words to the promises of God. My dad used to say this was “going off half-cocked,” a term for the unexpected firing of a gun that should have been safe.

If we will spend a little time reflecting on our lives (without self-condemnation) we will see things turn around for us. We will get a new perspective. We will operate in more peace and safety. It is an important 
aspect of my life. It keeps me from blindly doing the same things over and over again without measuring their harm or benefit in my life.

Again, journaling, blogging, meditating, or just taking the time to think about how you are doing things, helps. In this fast-paced life, a little time to pause and reflect will help us avoid many of the pitfalls that rushing about can lead us into.

For those of you who are not into writing, which helps me gets my thoughts in order, you may just consider a daily list of self-questions. Here are some examples:

1. Did I use my time and talent yesterday in a way the pleases the Lord and benefits my life?

2. Did I say things that I shouldn’t have? How can I prevent outbursts like that in the future? How can I make up for those careless words?

3. Did I pass up the opportunity, or fail to recognize the opportunity, to pour into someone else’s life? How can a be more prepared to recognize and respond to those opportunities in the future?

4. Am I doing things I don’t feel comfortable with? If so, why am I doing them? Am I being pressured or manipulated? If so, how? What can I do to break this cycle and do the things I know are right?

Just making yourself a checklist and taking the time to ask yourself some things each day can make a great difference in the long-term success of your life. Consider a little daily reflection and don’t forget to reflect on all the blessings God bestows on each of us each and everyday.

Calvary Assemblies of God | 720 N Plum St Union City IN 47390 | Pastor Brian P. Jenkins |  (765) 964-3671 | www.calvaryassembliesofgod.org