A call to self examination

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

It is that day again, the first day of the year. A time for some to put of the old and put on the new, a time to let things go, forgive and forget and in most cases move on. For me it is a time for self examination, a time for me to check myself properly and thoroughly. The scripture judge not comes ever so readily to mind, because it is a scripture that formed the basis of much of my life in 2009. In the past year one has made a lot of mistakes, and by mistakes I don't mean judgment mistakes in the areas of investment or jobs, I am talking about mistakes that could cost us our rightful place in the life beyond here.
Questions come flooding into my mind at this point, the reason I attend the church I do, talk and act the way I do, the reason my life is the way it is. Not just the me the world sees, but the me I see each time I look in a mirror. Do I glorify God with the life I live or is just for self? I have been back at home for little over a month now and there are a lot of times I feel like I should have spoken out but didn't. Something I know probably occurs in the daily lives of Christians all over the world. Not just at home now, but at different times over the last year... Kept silent because in my mind I keep telling myself judge not. Where does one draw the line? Between judging and what one believes and what one knows is right? The passage says do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, to the way the world sees things but be transformed by renewing your mind. A constant activity I must admit.
There are a lot of examples where this is very important but rather than dwell on them all, I will talk about the recent activity of Mr Mutallab in his attempt to bomb a plane (an activity which I don't encourage by the way), now we have Nigerian's all over the world rising up to condemn the act, even our dear militants down in the Niger Delta. Now I have no problem with Nigerians standing up to condemn the act, but then if we were standing up just to condemn the act as it was, then I have no problem with it, but then I don't see anyone thanking God that the bomb did not actually go off, but rather people are focusing on the issue of the difficulty in getting visas to travel.
Paul says to Timothy in 2 Tim 3:16 and I quote "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"
All scripture Paul says can be used for any one of them... Teachings, warnings, correcting and a guide on how to live for God all found in the scriptures, wrapped up in the bible as we know it today.
and verse 17 tells us why this is so again I quote "That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.".

It is a new year, and it is a year I start by beginning to wonder what is important to me? What matters most to me? For me it is right standing, righteousness and holiness. What matters to you?

Happy New Year!!!