Evening Reflections

The evening is my favorite part of the day. It’s a time to look back, take stock, and reflect on the events of the day, no matter whether they’re good or bad. As I study God’s word, it’s a time for careful thought and examination — for thanksgiving, and for prayer (2 Corinthians 13:5; Colossians 3:15; Psalm 55:17).

Our Lord had a similar practice during His earthly ministry. At the end of a wearying and demanding day, He went up on a mountain by Himself for a few moments of reflection and prayer in the presence of His Father (Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:45-46).

The value of the quiet presence of our heavenly Father and the careful examination of how we have engaged life on a given day, has great significance. Perhaps this was the goal of the apostle Paul’s challenge for us to "redeem the time" (Ephesians 5:16) — making certain we are making the best use of the time God gives us for living and serving Him.

As each day winds down to a close, let’s take some time for quiet reflection in God’s presence. In the quietness of the evening, we can get a more accurate perspective of our Christian life and how we are living it.

Remembering that we will experience a greater reflection of Jesus when we reflect more on Him (Hebrews 12:2 NASB).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets