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Self Evaluation (Psalm 119:59)

I considered my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies.
Psalm 119:59

Time continues to move at breakneck speed. As we get older we begin to recognize how quickly the time passes and how short life really is. Days turn into weeks and weeks into months. The next thing we know decades have passed. If we are not careful, we could look back and be quite disappointed with how we spent the precious time that God has given to us.

In this fast-paced world, we must slow down long enough to consider our lives. Not with a cursory glance, but with a thoughtful evaluation of how our time is spent and what is being accomplished.

The psalmist is carefully evaluating his life with a distinct purpose. He wants to be certain that he is walking in a way that is consistent with God’s testimonies. This is a critical emphasis. Keep in mind that the things that often get in the way of our faithfulness to the Lord are not inherently sinful things. They could be enjoyable activities or pastimes that simply absorb so much of our time that we could not possibly serve the Lord as we should. When this happens, the rather innocent activities become sinful because they rob us of the time that is essential for us to maintain biblical priorities.

I encourage you to take undistracted time to consider your life. Be willing to make decisions that turn your feet to God’s testimonies. If there are time-consuming things that rob you of your time with the Lord and distract you from your biblical priorities, cull them from your life. Busyness often becomes an excuse to avoid such personal evaluation. The end result can be tragic. Make it your aim, when you come to the end of life, to say with the apostle Paul:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
2 Timothy 4:7–8

Rocky Wyatt

Rocky Wyatt came to know the Lord as a young teenager and began working in youth ministry when in college. After serving in churches in Utah, California and Colorado, Rocky moved to Texas to serve as Youth Pastor at Countryside Bible Church. He served there for 26 years where he eventually moved from youth ministry to serve as an Associate Pastor.

Over the course of his ministry, Rocky has always had a desire to train men for pastoral ministry in the context of the local church. In 1992 he started XL Ministries, an organization that is committed to helping churches establish intensive internships for pastoral training. In 2020 he left his position at Countryside Bible Church to become the Executive Director of XL Ministries and now works full time assisting churches in training men for ministry.

He is co-author of The Youth Ministry Training Manual, a textbook for training youth pastors, and has also written multiple other resources for use in various local church ministries. He is currently working on a book to encourage churches to take the primary responsibility to train pastors.

Rocky is married to Pamela, has two sons and daughters-in-law, and ten grandchildren. 

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.1 Corinthians 15:58