My older daughter is a public school teacher.  This week she was evaluated by her principal, because the best way to tell if a teacher is doing well is to watch her/him teach.

It’s actually a regular part of the teaching profession.  Which got me thinking about a verse I read recently in the New Testament book of Philippians.

Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. (Philippians 2:12 NLT)

This is like an evaluation from the principal.  Show the results of your salvation, of your being made new in the power of God’s Holy Spirit.  Show the results of your faith in Jesus Christ as your leader, your king, your Lord.  Show the results as evidenced by deep reverence of God.  Oh, and work hard at this.

Whew!  That’s a tall order.  It’s also an order that’s easy to neglect.  Because it not only takes work to SHOW the results, it takes work and intentionality to monitor them.  To evaluate the results.

So here’s a question (actually two questions) for all of us as the school year winds down, and as students and teachers receive their evaluations and show the results of their efforts.

• What results are you showing?
• Is there anyone who’s helping you by offering an honest evaluation of how you’re doing?

Because apparently results matter.  Even to God.

-Pastor Mark