(Photo by Selma Komisky)

A Note From the Editor: September, 2017

By Sarah Komisky

September is one of those months that could feel like an extension of summer, but the little reminders like school and the cooler weather whisper that times are changing. And when seasons change, it’s a good time to evaluate. Where are we at, what happened where we were, and where are we going? We often don’t stop to do this because we let life move us along, but if we stayed still for a bit, I think we would learn a lot.

Think about it. We evaluate at work. We evaluate ministry. We evaluate in school. We evaluate when it comes to our health. We evaluate relationships. Yet, the very thing that is absolutely vital to our soul, we neglect. In the midst of life’s noise, we fail to take time to evaluate our spiritual state.

Often, we stay in the momentum and lose sight of the spiritual, or maybe we consciously decided to neglect it all together. But why don’t we open our mind to the possibility for a moment. What would happen if you did get honest? If you did ask the more challenging questions? What if we pondered our spiritual condition?

Acts 3:19-20 in the Amplified Bible gives us a great promise. It reads, “So repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins] and return [to God—seek His purpose for your life], so that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day]; and that He may send [to you] Jesus, the Christ, who has been appointed for you.”

So, here’s the deal, we don’t have to be afraid for God to see the real, messy us! A guy named David, who fell into adultery and was also guilty of murder, who came to God with his gunk, said this, “Look through me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. See if there is any sinful way in me and lead me in the way that lasts forever” (Psalm 139:23-24, NLV). Like a true friend, God will not judge you, but show you grace and acceptance if you come to Him to clean you up.

But we must first evaluate. Instead of running around like the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, always “late for a very important date,” we need to be still. We make some time to reflect to hear God’s voice. No growth will ever occur until we get honest, and we will find God will gently meet us with grace as we are fully known and fully loved.

To help you in your evaluation process, Marked Ministry decided to dedicate our entire September Issue to the Proverbs. Why? Because they are all about wisdom – and aren’t we all in need of that? We reflected on the specific verses chosen and believe God gave us something to say about them. We’ve also included some great interviews with those who shared their own words of encouragement. All together, we shared what we learned, what others have poured into us, and what we believe is most important: what we received from our Savior, Jesus Christ.

May this issue provide you the wisdom from God you need to evaluate well.

Blessings,

Sarah