What's In Your Closet? Part 5 of 6

But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him. I John 2:5-6 (NKJV)

Evaluation is a powerful tool. My children were told they could not leave the house to play with the neighbor kids until their room was clean. The evaluation was based on my definition of clean. After reviewing a game tape with the basketball team, the coaching staff commented on my husband's cocky attitude after he was charged with a foul. I knew him by his nick-name (Cocky) before I knew his given name. Employees are hired and fired based on someone's evaluation.

E - Evaluate your progress. We've been candid, cleaned out the clutter to escape our lost condition, chosen to obey important guidelines, and focused on the details by sweating the small stuff. Now it is time to step back and evaluate our progress. It is not safe to assume we will never go back to the old habits, nor can we feel comfortable with the perfect little world we've created inside our closet. It is going to continue to be a process. There will be obstacles along the way. Even if we maintain a great attitude, the closet will not automatically stay clean. There will be days of neglect due to rushed schedules, backload in the laundry room, and unexpected circumstances. Another guideline to remember: If there is not enough time to get your closet in order, try to do one or two things each time you enter. It won't be long before the weakness and cause of the unwanted clutter is identified when we are evaluating our progress.

The same conditions are present in our spiritual closets. We have good days in the Word and in prayer, and some days of neglect. Life is full of busy-ness and we cannot control each obstacle that comes our way. Our heart's desire is to maintain a close relationship with our Lord but Satan has a basket full of clutter ready to throw at us. Take the time to evaluate weaknesses and strengths. When time is too short to read an entire passage, find a verse to meditate on for the day. As you pass a house of a friend or someone you know is struggling, pray for them as you go by. Plan ahead to spend time with the Lord when a busy week is ahead. Failure can be avoided through evaluation. How would God evaluate your progress?

Obey is an action word. Day by day, moment by moment, we can experience God's love complete in our lives. Do you see blessing in your life? It is always a great feeling when we conquer a cluttered closet and it is no longer a place of dread. Our obedience to God is a great thing as well. We can know we are in Him when we obey Him! Is there a better place to be?

When we stop evaluating, we no longer have a tool to motivate. The clutter will return and we will find ourselves hopeless and in a lost condition again. Be willing to allow God to evaluate your progress.

Our prayer.

Search me, O 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. Psalms 139:23-24 (NKJV)

Janet Stutzman