Are you wrestling with the New Year?

New year’s resolutions are made every year. Sadly I have heard too many Pastors condemn the idea…and I do not know why? Making a decision to change something in your life is NEVER bad…the question that needs to be asked and discussed is…HOW?

 

I have made the mistake of believing if I could just change my circumstances, everything would be better! Then I matured and believed if I could just “muscle” my way into change, that would work. Failure again! Did you know the average New Year’s resolution lasts 13-19 days?

The real issue is…Purpose! Unless I have the right issue to Submit too, I will fail! My flesh is not strong enough…and even if it is, everything done through the power of the flesh burns with the rest of temporal things! Paul gave us the secret: 

1 Corinthians 9:23–27 I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings. Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

STOP seeking for a New Year…Seek for a New You! If you do not know Jesus personally, ask Him to show you the way! Write me and I will help you. If you know the Lord but feel “Stuck” ask Him what you need to yield to Him! Again if you desire some counsel, write me. 2019 can be a great year, but it will not happen with new circumstances…it will happen with a New You! 

Some thoughts for the New Year: NEW BEGINNING, BUT THE SAME OLD CIRCUMSTANCES

Long ago I took my family to a Christmas show, as an extra we were given tickets to see a light & water show. Computerized fountains, with colored lights; my children asked me where I got the new tickets, I said: “They were thrown in for free”. My youngest immediately asked, “Are we going to be thrown in also?” How many times I am reminded how important mind set is in properly understanding things.

Our mind set affects even how we approach circumstances. Reminds me of how an optimist is described: “He was the sort of man who would go after Moby Dick with a row boat, a harpoon, and a jar of tartar sauce.”

Jesus delivered a man that was demonized, people’s reactions were surprising and the command Jesus gave that man tells us a lot about God’s priorities:

Mark 5:1-20…When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him…No one was strong enough to subdue him…When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid…As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

Change happens all the time – the question is what do we do with it? If we seek to be different because circumstances have changed, we will repeat the same mistakes because change from without never makes a difference! Just read about Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8. Real change comes from inside! Then the circumstances do not matter!

Most times God does not deliver us from our circumstances but from ourselves.

Take these points into the New Year with you:

1. Look for what has happened inwardly - What new thought patterns? What new desires?

2. Do not expect circumstances to change immediately. See it as a time for maturity and growth.

3. Inward change will speak for itself! Say nothing, just live it!

Luke 5:37  And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.

The So What? What is your plan for 2019? Write it down and bring it before the Lord.

Heart reactions to Christmas – Meditative

Consider Mary:  

Luke 2:16–20, 49-52…And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart…Jesus said, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them…and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

Mary believed God, yet still had a hunger for more than only knowledge, she desired to consider the deeper truths that God is communicating.

Adrian Rogers said; “Knowledge is needed to pass the test in school, but wisdom is needed to pass the test in life. Knowledge is learned; wisdom is given. Knowledge comes by looking around; wisdom comes by looking up. Knowledge comes by study; wisdom comes by meditation with God. Wisdom teaches one how to apply His knowledge."

The Meditative Heart Understands:

1. The path to success – Finding God’s best!

Joshua 1:8 “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

2. The path to real esteem – What God thinks of me is the most important!

Psalm 119:23–24 Even though princes sit and talk against me, Your servant meditates on Your statutes. Your testimonies also are my delight; They are my counselors.

Psalm 119:78 May the arrogant be ashamed, for they subvert me with a lie; But I shall meditate on Your precepts.

3. The path to wisdom. Knowing HOW to use knowledge is the key!

Psalm 119:97–99 O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, For they are ever mine. I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation.

4. The path to Strength. Understanding Who your God is, renews your hope, which is the key to strength.

Psalm 119:48–50 And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments, Which I love; And I will meditate on Your statutes. Remember the word to Your servant, In which You have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, That Your word has revived me.

Proverbs 24:5–6 A wise man is strong, And a man of knowledge increases power. For by wise guidance you will wage war, And in abundance of counselors there is victory.

How many times do you think and then rethink Scriptures you have read?

How can I make 2019 a more meditative year?

Is there a book of the Bible I can pick to spend 2019 on?

How much time am I willing to invest this year to learn about Him?

* Remember - You NEVER find time – you MAKE it.

Heart reactions to Christmas – Willing

Consider the Shepherds: Luke 2:8–20

{1} The Willing Heart - Responds to God

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

* What do you do when you find out you were wrong?

{2} The Willing heart - Reports about God

After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished

* How easily does your relationship with Jesus enter conversations you have?

{3} The Willing heart - Rejoices because OF God

The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

* What brings you greater joy, what God gives you or God Himself?

Meditation: What area of your life are you willing to open up to God that He does not have yet? How willing will you be to share with others what Christmas really means to you? What are you willing to do to make this Christmas more about                                                                                 Him? Think of one person you can pray                                                                         for to know the true meaning of                                                                                     Christmas.

Heart reactions to Christmas - Seeking

Consider the Magi:

Matthew 2:1-2…Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

The Seeking Heart - understands priorities & initiates action.

Matthew 2:9 After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.

The Seeking heart - will receive guidance

Matthew 2:11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother…

The Seeking heart - will find

The reason we do not find is not because God is hiding it, we are not seeking. I have found several reasons that my heart deceives itself about seeking.

We say we are seeking, BUT

* We are seeking in the wrong places.

* We are seeking with an agenda already determined.

* We are seeking without being committed to respond.

A good example is found in Matthew 19:16–23 A rich young man claiming to have kept all the commandments asked Jesus what he lacked. Jesus said, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.

Jesus told him he needed to exchange his god of "things"  for God!

* How Tragic!  He sought for Truth...but when it was given...his agenda refused to yield!

Matthew 2:11…and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The Seeking heart - will respond.

Meditation: Am I seeking the real meaning of Christmas? How am I protecting my schedule to take time to enjoy God this Christmas? Is your heart ready to respond to what you find?

Can God really Love me?

If you know anything about God from a “Religious” perspective, this would be a fair question. He is Holy, Righteous, and despises sin. I on the other hand am unholy, self righteous and addicted to sin! So how or why would God love me? The answer is GRACE! Every great attribute there is…God is! Whereas, you and I may possess this attribute in our character, God is. For example, I may have developed the ability to show genuine love, God IS love! Grace is also an attribute of God, and He loves to extend His grace to all. God loves us and shows us grace because He’s God!  

We saw from Paul that:

         1. His Grace gives us Self-Acceptance.

         2. His Grace Translates to us.

3. His Grace gives us Self-forgiveness. God’s Grace brings balance into our life, we realize we are sinners, yet God continues to love and care for us.

1 Timothy 1:12–14 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.

Nothing I am is a surprise to God!

4. His Grace is Eternal in its effect. When God gives, He gives His way! It’s unconditional and it is forever!

2 Thessalonians 2:16–17 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.

I can never remove myself from His grace. 

5. Eternal in it's concept. His grace does not begin when our body dies. It is retroactive…wiping all the sins of our past…pointing to an endless future experiencing Him.   

Ephesians 2:6-7 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

No matter what situation I am in, His grace is ever before me.

The So What? Have you invited His Grace into your life? Looking for Hope? His Grace will bring that.

Now that Thanksgiving is past…is thanksgiving done?

At our Church plant the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day, we spent that day in devotional thought meditating on what we should be thankful for. In the week after and heading toward Christmas…I find it is very helpful to continue thinking what I am thankful about.

As we enter this season, let’s take a moment to be thankful for God’s Grace, learning from Paul and grabbing lessons for our life.

1. His Grace gives us Self-Acceptance. God designed each one of us, with our strengths and weaknesses. His grace will help us to accept and wait upon Him to change us. This does not justify sinful characteristics, but it should help us understand those things we do not like about ourselves, God allowed and desires to enable us to grow in the midst of them.

1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.       

My weaknesses can be His strength!

He has a plan for you, the way He made you. You are not an accident, God designed you!

2. His Grace Translates to us. Jesus desires to make us like Himself. Jesus gave up all so He could share it with us. Sadly, too many in the Church translate “riches” to mean financial situations. While God will help us with these issues, the riches He is referring to are Character issues.

2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

My genetics does not determine my character.

Never think that a deficiency in your life was something that surprised the Lord. He knows who He made and has a plan for you. It is never right to ignore genetics, BUT, God is able to overcome any issue that you were born with. We spend far too much time trying to figure out why something happened, instead of focusing on where to go from here. The Scriptures share countless stories of people born with many problems, God does not worry about the circumstance, He says, “Where do you and I go from here?” - Focus on what God wants, not why things are what they are!

What is the “Good Life?”

The “Good Life”, has a history of examples of people that “had it all” yet died miserable, empty of anything of “real” value. Still, human beings continue to pursue that life convincing themselves that it will be different.

Jesus’ teaching on what life should be was very plain. There is no confusion; the issue is whether we are willing to embrace that Truth. Listen to what Jesus said:

John 12:25 “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.

What Jesus is not saying:

* Don’t enjoy life. There was a character in the Winnie the Pooh series called Eeyore, he was a donkey, if anyone could find a cloud of doom in their life it was him! Jesus never taught us NOT to enjoy life, He taught us not to COUNT on this life to bring us joy!

* Make sure no one else enjoys life – Christians should not be known for trying to make others not enjoy their life. Some believers, due to wrong thinking, suck life right out of you.

* Choose everything you would hate – Many believers falsely believe you cannot seek to enjoy life according to your preferences. Food, living conditions, even where you live must be the last thing you would desire!

* Make life as tough as you can - The more you suffer the more Godly you are. What a horrible reality, yet I dealt with this on the mission field. Missionaries that made their life as hard as possible – feeling it made them godly. Nothing is further from the truth! Paul makes it clear that whatever situation you find yourself in…Learn to be content!

Philippians 4:11–13 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Here is what Jesus said:

* You must pick which system you will live in!

It cannot be both, that would be lukewarm and He will spit you from His mouth!

Revelation 3:16 ‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.

If you love the life this world offers, you will devote your time, energy, talents and being to it – and everything you gain dies with you!

If you detest (hate) the temporal offer of this world, instead desire to live for the Lord,  your life here and now becomes an investment that goes into eternity with you.

Two Outcomes

Jn 12:26 “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if  anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.”

         

         1 – You will follow where He leads.

You will not be distracted…trip and fall or bump and hurt, you will focus on the path and move.

Jn 12;27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.

2 – Your applause will come from Him.

You won’t be obsessed with what the world thinks…only God matters!

Jn 12:42-43 Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather                                                                              than the approval of God.

*** Fruit – A sense of Destiny & Purpose ***

Finish your life with no regret!

* Too many of us are just living to die … God has placed in us a Spirit that is Dying to Live!

The So What: Which are You?