One of the advantages of the calendar is that it helps you to see the beginning and the end; the beginning of a day, week, month and year. The calendar when properly used helps you to know that you have ended a chapter and you are beginning another chapter.  So, one of the best ways to use the calendar is to be able to evaluate what you have done within a period and to plan for the beginning of another period.  Where I am going is that you should be able to sit down at the end of every year and do a personal evaluation of yourself and that exercise should help you plan a trajectory of what you want to do, where you want to go and what you hope to achieve in the year ahead.  Evaluation is not meant to condemn or make you depressed if you did not achieve your planned objectives in the outgoing period, rather it is to help you re-strategize. 

While preparing this, I read about a girl who failed grade 12 (WAEC) five times and made a first class later.  Look out for where you have 'failed' or if that word is too strong for you, where you did not 'measure up' and find out why and make amends. Women do a physical evaluation every day when they use the mirror. They correct what they feel is inappropriate on their face and apply more cosmetics where necessary. They got the principle from the bible.

"But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was" James 1:22-24

Evaluation should not be limited to your faces alone. It should be extended to your total physical being. Have I gained excessive weight and increased my BMI due to over eating or eating the wrong stuff or due to lack of discipline to exercise? What of your financial status? How did you make money and how did you spend it? Have you spent or invested your money? If you expended your money on frivolities, prostitutes, you have spent your money. If you expended your money on your family, taking care of your spouse, paying your children's school fees, giving to charity, helping the needy, donating to the church and paying your tithe you have invested your money.

As a youth how have you spent your year, how have you managed your time? One of the major yet not too visible time wasters of our time is the social media. Whereas the smart few ones are designing various social media apps and smiling to the bank, over 99 percent of the users are being wasted and wasting away. You must be able to find out how many hours you are expending daily on your Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter accounts etc. If it is bringing revenue to you fine, but if it is just waking up to showcase the x-ray of your three month pregnancy for example, then you need to examine yourself! I was in Nigeria for about three weeks this December and I see how much money that is wasted on unnecessary telephone conversation by the people who claim they have no job and money. Unlike North America where you have a plan and pay fix amount of money on telephone bills, the African market is hugely exploited. I traveled from Tanzania to Malawi, Kenya and Ghana before arriving in Nigeria, I see how the telecommunications gurus are exploiting Africans. But it does not matter how much you blame them, you are not forced to buy airtime, it is out of your indiscretion that you waste your money on those calls. There is an adage that says you may not be able to prevent a bird from flying over your head, but you can prevent it from building a nest. The big question is how have you managed your resources in this outgoing year?

What I really want to focus on today is your spiritual assessment and personal evaluation. Your ability to spiritually position yourself will determine the extent you can go in life as emphasised by the famous scripture on prosperity: "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." 3 John 1:2 

One of the most important principles that guide the way I preach and what I preach comes from 2 Corinthians 3:18. It says, "We all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." The principle is this: true gospel change of a person's character comes from steady gazing at the glory of Jesus. "Beholding the glory of the Lord, we are being transformed into his image." We become like what we treasure enough to spend time focusing on. Some say, "Seeing is believing." This text says, "Seeing is becoming." You become like what you behold.

The implication of this for preaching is that, if I aim for us as a church to be transformed from one degree of glory to another, to become more and more like Jesus, then I should hold up Jesus again and again for you to gaze at.

We need to see Jesus!
There are things about Christ that we need very much at the end of this year.
We need the perseverance of Christ in the face of affliction.
We need the energy and strength of Christ in the face of global aggressive pressures.
We need the wisdom of Christ in the face of complexities of life and ministry.
We need the stability of Christ in the midst of rapid social, political and personal changes all around us.
We need the assurance of his sovereign authority in a culture sliding farther and farther from his truth.

It is no exaggeration to say that we need Christ present to our view and for our fellowship more than we need anything else. 1 John 3:2 says, "Beloved, we are God's children now. It does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when he appears we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is." To the degree that we can see him now, we are changed into his image. When he comes to be seen in his full glory, our transforming will be completed. And it all happens because of seeing him—gazing steadily at Him.

The question is how much of Jesus were you in the beginning of the year and how much of Him are you now? Have you gyrated towards him better or you have drifted away from him or you are just stagnant in one spot? If you have attended service every Sunday this year then you have heard an average of 52 sermons? What is the impact of the 52 sermons on your life? Are you just a hearer or are you a doer? How do you measure the impact of the message you are hearing? Simply put character! What is your character index? Not charisma index. Charisma and beauty is what God has given you character is what God wants you to develop by gazing and beholding Jesus through the instrumentality of reading, listening, meditating and most importantly practicing the Word.

The story of Mordecai in Esther chapter 6 comes handy. Mordecai a 'Christian' was serving a king that could be said not to be a Christian and he served the king in the integrity of his heart. Some people plotted to kill King Ahasuerus. Mordecai did not only refuse to be involved in the assassination plot, but also reported the people. He was not looking for a reward but doing his normal service. How have you performed your service in this outgoing year?  
Were you involved in destroying people despite that Psalm 1 encouraged you should not be a scorner?
Have you slept with another man's wife? Have you slept with another man's husband?
Have you destroyed a young woman's future by your infidelity? As a young man have you impregnated a young woman and colluded to carry out abortion? Have you cheated on your exams? 
Have you abused the trust your company and nation entrusted you with? Did you take bribe in the cause of the year? Did you inflate contract and shared the loot and thereby oppressed the poor?
Are you part of the terrorist gang destroying churches, killing and maiming innocent children? What have you spent the year doing?
Mordecai was not only involved in protecting the king, he was defending the cause of the oppressed, the Jews. When nobody stood up against the aggression of Harman the influential Vice President, Mordecai came out strong, rallying his niece Esther the queen and all who could pray and fast to rescue a perishing nation.  How have you delivered the oppressed in the outgoing year? The refugee crisis of this year is out of proportion how have you helped? Christians have suddenly become the target of aggression in our time, you cannot preach the gospel as it is or you will be called names if you are not imprisoned. From ISIS, Al- Shabaab to Boko Haram, Christians are being slaughtered in their hundreds. In some ridiculous cases they will show them on YouTube as they are being slaughtered! Have you been motivated to preach the gospel with fire and great zeal? How many souls have you won for Christ this year? What have you done to fight corruption? Or are you a part of the corruption?

Have you helped the needy in your community? Or you were preoccupied with your little challenges that you cannot even count your blessings. Psalm 103 helps you to catalogue all that God has done. As this year comes to an end evaluate yourself.

The king Ahaseurus could not sleep until he blessed and rewarded Mordecai. While the wicked Harman was imagining that he will be the one to get the blessing, he was the one to parade Mordecai around the city shouting his praise. That tells me two things; firstly God will still remember you and reward you before this year comes to an end. The King of kings, The Lord of lords will reward you before this year ends. Secondly, your enemy will bring the blessing to you!

As you go to the New Year, I am holding Jesus for you to look unto the author and finisher of our faith. With you looking at the Master, trusting in the Master, protecting the interest of the Master, the King of Kings will surprise you in the New Year. All the good things you did and it seems no one noticed, guess what, it is in the book of life. God will reward you here and in the life to come. "Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life."

Pastor Amos Dada is the District Superintendent of Christ Apostolic Church Bethel Canada and Convener of International Gathering of Eagles Conferences globally. The conference was held in six nations in this outgoing year; namely: Canada, Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya,Ghana and Nigeria.