Well, my Friends, it is that time of year when we take an inventory of past twelve months, then decide to change – or not to change – our ways based on what we observed. To prepare for this examination, most of us have already zeroed in on some areas of concern. Perhaps it is a more healthy diet, or weight control, or more prudent spending, or trying harder to achieve last year’s goals, etc. Whatever area we conclude needs improvin’, we stand on the cusp of a new beginning, and in that moment we feel GOOD about making the necessary decision to bring about CHANGE! There is no doubt in our mind it is FOR OUR OWN GOOD. We are psyched!!
We don’t need statistics to tell us that on January 2nd gyms are filled; weight-loss classes have a higher enrollment, more people are seen walking or jogging in our neighborhoods, and more people are showing-up to work earlier…maybe even on time! But it’s also been recorded that by January 30th, there is a noticeable drop in those activities, and by February 28th, statistics do tell us that more than 50% of the New Year’s resolution makers have lost interest or have given up. And to no one’s surprise, by March 30th that number increases to a startling 76%.
So what can we deduce from this message? Well…clearly the majority of people have a problem making a commitment and keeping it; or perhaps it’s a matter of resisting temptation when it comes a callin’. But you say…surely we CAN do that if we just suck it up and commit to a plan! True. There are indeed some who have what our culture calls a strong “self –will”, and they are impressive when it comes to tackling certain challenges. But truth be known…we all have challenges or temptations that are stronger than our own best effort to overcome. In fact, that has been the human condition since Creation.
As you know from previous blogs, I have written a quite a few times about our “human nature”. If you are a new reader, that condition resulted from Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God’s command found in Genesis 2:3,“Do not eat fruit from the tree at the center of the garden (tree of knowledge of good and evil), for if you do, you will surely die.” Prior to that act, Adam and Eve were spiritually connected to God. He provided everything for their life in the Garden of Eden. It was paradise; it was perfect. But once Adam and Eve took the focus off God and put it on themselves and satisfying their own desire, that original spiritual connection was severed; they were banished from the Garden; and by that act of “self-will” they were cursed to live by their own effort. That was the original SIN: taking the focus off God and putting it on “self”.
Consequently, every generation born after Adam and Eve has inherited their curse: we are born spiritually disconnected from God. All that means is that we live our life to satisfy our own needs, desires and lustful pleasures rather than focusing on God’s will for our life. That condition, commonly referred to in our culture as “human nature”, is Biblically described as “sin nature”. Yikes! And as you already know, there is definitely a downside to that condition, as clearly stated in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death…” Now as ominous as that sounds, there is also good news in the last part of this scripture (which I will share a bit later) and also in this Biblical truth. Since man severed the spiritual connection with God, it is up to man to restore it. Here is the good news…that can be done any time we are we are ready to admit our way has not worked and we cry out “God help me!” The unfortunate truth is…it usually – but not always – takes a state of brokenness for humility to kick in! James 4:10 tells us, “When we bow down before the Lord and admit our dependence on him, he will lift us up and give us honor.” He also promises us in 1Chronicles, 28:2, “If we seek Him, we will surely find Him.”
The opportunity for a new beginning is a time of hope, whether it is a decision to change our habits or a decision to change our “human nature”. One decision has temporal consequences, the other has eternal consequences. But the whole matter of change is frightening to most people, and as I stated above, it usually takes a ‘wake-up” call. Ask a person who has just won the lottery if he/she wants to change their life, and you’ll probably hear, “Are you crazy! I’ve just won what I’ve always dreamed of…” (humm..,check back in five years). Now offer the person a chance to change, whose secret life of adulterous behavior has just been exposed. Who do you think has the most willing heart to change? The truth is, and the good news is…God is still waiting with open arms for all of us! That’s why He proclaimed in 2Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient. My strength is made perfect in your weakness”. Wow! Now that is a message of hope!! But that’s the way He works; He exalts the humble.
God’s promise to us is he will meet us right where we are in our time of need. When we surrender to Him and are willing to turn our will and our life over to his care, as was the original intent, his first order of business is to direct us to Jesus Christ. Why? Because God created us for a relationship – an eternal relationship with him in paradise, but as stated in 1Peter, 1:16, “We have to be holy because God is holy.” To be holy means to be without sin. Ooops! What about our human nature- our sin nature? It’s important here to see this distinction: we’re not sinners because we sin; we sin because we’re sinners, meaning we don’t necessarily set out to sin, we just do what comes naturally to us in our human condition. We live to please ourselves rather than God.
God knows our human condition and he knows we are slaves to it. Now to complete the scripture above that contains not only a curse, but also a blessing, Romans 6:23 tells us, “For the wages of sin is death, BUT the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord” (my emphasis). To emphasize the “gift of God”, one of my favorite scriptures, Romans 5:6 also tells us, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” (Notice that Apostle Paul didn’t shade words when he described our condition: “us sinners.”) But because God loves us, and because He wants an eternal relationship with us, he knew mankind was “utterly helpless” and could not, by our own effort, become holy. Therefore, he chose to solve the problem for us by sending his Son, Jesus Christ, as the sacrificial lamb to pay the penalty for our sin. Jesus clearly states this reality in John 14:6 when he proclaims, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
This verse is the essence of Christianity. This is God’s gift of grace, meaning we did nothing to earn the gift, nor do we deserve it. It is about a loving God choosing to pay the price for the sins of ALL mankind, through his Son, Jesus Christ, so we can spend eternity with Him, Jesus and all other believers. He wants ALL of us to be in Christ so we won’t be contaminated with sin. Remember, we cannot come into the presence of God stained with sin. Why? Because sin contaminates, destroys, spreads and kills!! Need proof? Look at the Garden of Eden; paradise until sin entered the world. Look at the world today. Does this look like paradise to you??
So as we approach 2014, we have a chance for a new beginning. Everyone likes a clean slate and a new start, right? It gives us hope! But while changing our behavior, our eating habits, or work habits, etc., are important, they pale by comparison to the most important change anyone can make. When we accept God’s gift of grace, 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “… if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old (self) is gone; the new (self) is here.” God’s plan is perfect. Not only is our old self (our sin-nature) taken away, but we receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to empower us to live the new life that will bring honor and glory to God. (I plan to write about this next week in a post entitled “You Too Can Be Superman”). That, my Friends, is when a new life begins and we start to receive God’s promises and blessings. Gotta tell ya…I’ve been on both sides, so I can say with certainty, God’s way is the only way to receive the “abundant life” promised by Jesus ( John 10:10).
Happy New Year, One and All!, and please celebrate it by accepting God’s gift to you!
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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