INTRODUCTION: As we approach the end of another year—2025—we are often filled with mixed emotions. Some of us are grateful for the victories we’ve experienced, others may have regrets and hope to leave the failures behind. The Bible encourages reflection. As written in Lamentations, we are to examine our ways and test them so we may return to the Lord. This process is akin to taking inventory—a careful assessment of where we stand spiritually, emotionally, and in our relationship with God.
Just as businesses evaluate their accounts and stock at the year-end to determine profit or loss, we as Christians are encouraged to evaluate our walk with the Lord. Are we storing up treasures that matter? Are we spending our time wisely? Are we fulfilling the mission God has given to us?
HOW CAN WE REFLECT AND RENEW FOR GOD’S GLORY?
1. LOOKING BACK: A YEAR OF LESSONS (Deuteronomy 8:1)
Before we rush into the next year, we must pause and look back. What did 2025 teach you about God, about yourself, and about the people around you? Did you walk faithfully with Him? Did you experience seasons of joy, sorrow, or doubt?
Consider the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness. Their journey was filled with tests, failures, and lessons. Yet Moses urged them to remember God’s faithfulness: "Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors." (Deuteronomy 8:1).
God calls us to reflect on the past, not to hold onto it, but to learn from it and see His hand through every season.
Let us ask ourselves:
• What victories did I experience this year, and how was God glorified in them?
• Where did I fall short, and how is God teaching me to grow?
• Did I trust His plan, even when life didn’t go my way?
2. EXAMINE YOUR HEART AND PRIORITIES (Psalm 139:23-24)
King David was a man after God’s heart, but even he often failed and needed to take inventory of his spiritual life. In Psalm 139:23-24, David prays: "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
David realized the importance of reflecting on his relationship with God and asking the Lord to help him see where he had fallen short. In a year-end inventory, it’s crucial to pause and ask ourselves:
• What is driving my priorities?
• Have I placed God first in my decisions, my family, my work, and my daily life?
Think about the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21. The rich man stored up earthly treasures but neglected a relationship with God. At the end of this year, ask yourself: Am I investing in eternal treasures or temporary accolades?
Reflection isn’t about condemnation, but rather about putting ourselves before God with vulnerability and asking Him to transform us.
3. EVALUATION OF USING YOUR TIME AND TALENTS (Matthew 25:14-30)
The Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30 reminds us that God has entrusted each of us with gifts, talents, and opportunities. At year-end, it’s time to ask:
• Have I used my time wisely this year?
• What have I done with the resources God entrusted to me?
Consider the servant in this parable who buried his talents out of fear and laziness, instead of using them well for his master. God calls us not to merely exist but to expand His kingdom with the days, talents, and resources He’s given us.
2025 is almost behind us, but as we look forward to 2026, let us commit to using our gifts for His glory. Whether you’ve been given much or little, God asks for faithfulness, not perfection.
4. REPENT, RENEW AND RETURN TO GOD (Luke 15:11-32)
The prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32 is a powerful story of inventory—realizing where we’ve gone astray and returning to God for renewal. At the end of this year, it’s the perfect time to take stock of the areas where we’ve wandered or fallen short.
When the prodigal son hit rock bottom, he reflected on his choices and resolved to return to his father. Scripture says the father welcomed him with open arms. Similarly, as we examine our lives, we might find areas where we’ve drifted away, but the good news is that God calls us to repentance and renewal: "Return to me, and I will return to you," declares the Lord Almighty (Malachi 3:7).
For some, this inventory might reveal areas of unrepented sin, missed opportunities to serve, or failure to trust God fully. No matter what the inventory exposes, God is faithful to forgive (1 John 1:9) and give us a fresh start.
5. BURN FOR JESUS (Jeremiah 20:9)
To "burn for Jesus" is to live with unwavering passion and dedication to Christ, allowing God's love to ignite a fire in our hearts that cannot be extinguished. In Jeremiah 20:9 (NIV), the prophet declared, "But if I say, ‘I will not mention His word or speak anymore in His name,’ His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot." Jeremiah’s zeal for the Lord was so intense that he could not help but proclaim the truth of God's word, even in the face of opposition. Similarly, the disciples on the road to Emmaus felt their hearts “burning within them” as Jesus opened the scriptures to them (Luke 24:32). Burning for Jesus means living a life fueled by His love, pursuing holiness, and sharing the gospel boldly so that others may encounter His unquenchable light. It is a life surrendered entirely to Him—a flame that shines brighter with each act of obedience and devotion.
For all those who have been serving Christ and His Kingdom, I will pose this question to you:
• Did you burn for Jesus in 2025?
• Did you deny yourself, die to yourself, take up your cross and follow Christ in 2025?
Burning for Jesus, therefore, goes beyond mere enthusiasm. It signifies a profound, consuming zeal to know God, to be transformed by Christ’s love, and to make His love known to others. It is about allowing the truth of the Gospel to penetrate our hearts deeply, changing us from the inside out, and compelling us to acts of service, love, and witness in His name. This fire is sparked by an intimate relationship with Jesus, nurtured through prayer, the Scriptures and is made manifest in a life that radiates His light and love to the world.
APPLICATION: As we close 2025 and prepare for 2026, here are some action steps to help us reflect and renew:
• Set Aside Time for Prayer and Reflection
o Write down the areas where you succeeded spiritually and where you struggled.
o Ask God for wisdom to change and grow
• Reconnect with God Through His Word
o Start a Bible reading plan for the new year.
o Meditate on passages like Philippians 3:13-14: "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize."
• Make God-Centered Goals for 2026
o Focus on aligning your goals with God’s mission in your life.
o Decide how you can serve others and glorify God more intentionally.
Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV): “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
As we take inventory of 2025, we are doing more than just reflecting—we are trusting God to guide us into the new year with renewed faith, hope, and purpose. Let us step into 2026 with the confidence that the same God who sustained us through 2025 will enable us to walk boldly in His will.
