To determine the value of their stock, shopkeepers must do annual stocktaking. In this way, they can keep an account of what’s on their shelves, the value of their assets, and what losses they have incurred during each year.
The Bible encourages God’s children to do stocktaking as well, not to keep account of material assets but to determine the condition of our eternal benefits. We need to take stock of our lives, not annually but daily, to keep short accounts with God and with our fellow humans, to check our gains and losses and to ensure that we are up-to-date with our daily payments.
A few Scriptures will guide us in this stocktaking exercise.
Romans 13:8 NLT
[8] “Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.”
Paul reminds us that we have only one recurring debt…to love one another. Loving one another in practical ways, i.e., meeting each other’s needs at our own expense, takes care of every requirement in the Old Covenant.
What if we took a few moments each evening to review our interaction with others? What did I do today to benefit another? What did I not do today that I could have done for someone in my circle? Did I show love to another by a friendly smile or a kindly word? Did I forgive another’s debt as Jesus has forgiven mine?
This exercise is not to bring us into bondage but to alert us to the importance of the words we speak or the attitudes we display in our interaction with others.
1 John 3:23 NLT
[23] “And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.”
Our stocktaking must also include our review of the place our Helper occupies in our daily activities. God has graciously provided for us the supreme Teacher, Advocate, and Companion, to be in us as our “paracletos”, a beautiful Greek word meaning, “the one called alongside” to help us carry the load. He is our divine our Helper. The Holy Spirit is God’s presence in us, nearer to us than our breath. He is the perfect Representative of the Father and the Son.
Have I been so aware of the Spirit in me today, that I have consulted Him for help and guidance in every choice and decision I made? Did I live today in the Spirit or in the flesh? Do I need to repent of my independence? Did I offend or grieve the Spirit today by my attitudes, words, or behaviour? Did I tarnish His name today?
If I forget who is Lord in my life, I can easily lose my way and get lost in the wilderness of selfish indulgence and self-preservation. The Holy Spirit is in me to keep my heart focused on Jesus.
John 16:12-14 NLT
[12] “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. [13] When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. [14] He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.”
How imperative it is for us to be “joined at the hip” in spirit to Jesus.
Matthew 16:24-25 NLT
[24″Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [25] If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”
I must take stock of my use of God’s Word. God has entrusted to His church a body of truth, a deposit He has made into our account, to be guarded and kept intact, to be used responsibly and wisely, and to be passed on to the next generation. His Word is the light that guides our feet in our daily walk.
God has provided His “treasure trove” of promises to ensure that we have all the equipment we need to become who we are, sons and daughters of the Father.
2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT
[3] “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. [4] And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”
Jesus has underwritten every promise by fulfilling all the requirements of God’s Covenant, including the penalty of death for the debt we owe Him. All His promises are now freely available in Him to ensure that we reach our destination.
2 Corinthians 1:20 NLT
[20] “For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”
God did not give us His Word to get what we want or to manipulate Him to do what we demand. He gave us His promises to guide us on our way to becoming like Jesus.
Of what use did I make of His promises today? Did I believe what He said and act in faith on His Word? Did I experience His grace in difficult moments because I believed His promise for enough grace in my weakness? Did I trust His Word when He warned me against sinning and and glorify Him when He applauded me for doing the right thing? Did I take His Word seriously?
The last area of stocktaking, at least in this short meditation, is an examination of my beliefs, and the way I apply them to my daily life. How important this is because beliefs guide our thoughts and actions but, in themselves, they are empty and meaningless without application.
2 Peter 1:5-11 NLT
[5] “In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, [6] and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, [7] and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. [8] The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. [10] So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. [11] Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Daily stocktaking, reviewing our assets and acknowledging our losses, will go a long way towards enabling us to live lives that are up-to-date with our progress towards God’s goal for us. His intention is clear – likeness to Jesus. His provisions are clear, His Spirit and His Word. He has removed all the obstacles and provided the perfect model and mentor, Jesus.
The rest is up to me. He cannot submit, obey, and trust for me.
I must not carry any losses I made today, into tomorrow. I must assess my assets today, increase and use them to provide what I need for my journey towards eternity. Through God’s grace, He provides everything we need to live godly lives in this world.
Hebrews 3:7 NLT
[7] “That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear his voice…” Today is the day of salvation.”
Before we reach our conclusion relating to spiritual stocktaking, I would warn us all, dear readers, to beware of the notion that we must indulge in self-awareness and self-condemnation. Self-awareness only has value when we know and acknowledge our fallibilty and our need for God’s help. Self-awareness is dangerous territory when we indulge in self-absorption. He has not instructed us to become more self-aware. He wants us to be more Christ-aware.
We must learn to do what David did…invite the Holy Spirit to search us. He alone knows the full extent of who we are in our human fallenness. He alone can shine the light into all the dark corners of our lives.
Psalms 139:23-24 NLT
[23] “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. [24] Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
We can have every reason to be secure in our fellowship with Jesus when we keep short accounts, do our daily stocktaking, correct our errors, and stay close to the heart of our Master.