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A
YEAR OF NEW BEGINNINGS
What
is the one thing most people have in common at the new year?
Most of us make resolutions, don’t we?
One young boy asked his father what his new years resolution
was, and his father said he was going to do everything possible in
the new year to make his mother very happy.
The
boy asked his mother what hers was, and she said, “To do
everything possible to make sure your father keeps his
resolution.”
Why
do we make those things anyway?
We make them because there are areas in our lives we are
either unhappy with, or areas in our lives we want to be better.
They did a survey a few years back and the number one
resolution in America was to lose weight.
A
wife came into the bathroom to see her husband standing on the
scales with his stomach sucked in.
She told him that sucking in his stomach wouldn’t make it
any better. He said it
would, because if he didn’t suck it in, he couldn’t read the
numbers.
This
is one of those very few times when everybody, believers and
non-believers alike, are going to be doing the exact same thing at
the exact same time: Leaving
one place and going into another.
Of course, I am talking about leaving 2007 and entering 2008.
The
number “7” is the number for completion, and the number “8”
is the number for new beginnings.
As we prepare to celebrate another new year, I want to talk a
little about how we should leave and how we should enter.
So,
what are you planning on leaving behind as you enter the new year?
When we leave 2007, I think we should ….
1.
LEAVE IT COMPLETELY
When
we pray, we often take our needs to the Lord and ask His help in
dealing with them. And
then what do we do? Instead
of leaving them with Him, we take them back with us as we finish
praying.
We
need to learn to leave things where they belong.
If 2007 really is a year of completion for you, don’t you
think you should learn to leave some things completely?
What
are some of the things we need to leave behind?
I think it can be summed up by just saying that anything in
our lives that keep us from fully focusing on the Lord should be
left behind. Being a
Christian means to always be going forward.
Have you ever noticed how we always talk about our walk?
We talk about our walk in life; our walk of faith; and walk
with the Lord. By its very nature, walking means moving forward.
And as we move forward, we are always doing two things:
We leave one place and go into another.
As
we leave, let us leave behind those parts of ourselves that do us no
good. Here are some suggestions as to what you might choose to
leave behind.
-
- LEAVE YOUR
RESENTMENT BEHIND
Each
of us resent something. We
might resent something we have said and done, or we might resent
what someone else has said and done.
But along with resentment comes unforgiveness.
And unforgiveness is a very dangerous thing to keep in our
lives.
Jesus
said that if we forgive, God will forgive us.
But if we do not forgive, God will not forgive us.
Now, we must understand that to forgive does not mean the
same thing as to forget. We
cannot erase our memories, but we can erase our resentment.
I
would suggest that we just look at things from a different
perspective. Instead of
looking at your resentment from the negative side, start looking at
it from the positive side. In
other words, when you remember those things, as you surely will,
look at them as an example of what not to ever feel again.
So
forget those things which hurt you.
And forgive those people who did or said them.
I like the old saying: “Look
lovingly upon your enemies, for it is you who have made them.”
We choose to dislike people, based upon what we like or
think. We must realize
that we are not the perfect examples, so we shouldn’t hold others
accountable to our standards.
Also,
if you stoop low enough to begrudge others - - THEY WIN!
So make a decision to leave your resentment behind.
-
- LEAVE YOUR
WORRIES BEHIND
Worries
are very much like rocking chairs.
They give you something to do, but they never take you
anywhere while you’re doing it.
We only worry about two things:
Things we can change and things we cannot change.
Why waste time doing something that not only hurts us and
never helps us?
When
we worry, it ends up taking over our ever thought and it becomes the
predominate thought of our lives.
Yet, it is also worry that causes mental illness, stress, and
many other things that destroy our lives.
Worry has killed more people than hard work ever did.
Worry is the cause of fear.
So,
leave your worries behind as you enter the new year, too.
-
- LEAVE YOUR
FAILURES BEHIND
We
try so hard to be the best we can be, but we don’t always succeed.
And it is in those times when we don’t succeed, that we get
discouraged because we have failed.
But what have we failed in?
We may not have achieved just what we originally set out to
achieve, but we haven’t failed.
The
only time you fail is when you don’t try to do anything!
We need to understand that God has called us to have faith
long before He ever called us to achieve.
We are called to be in Christ, and as long as we are in Him,
we are successful.
The
ancient Israelites never seemed to get it right.
They would all turn toward God and worship Him and everything
in their lives would drastically improve.
But after a couple of hundred years, they would turn their
backs on Him again and see doom visit them and their nation.
But, we are told that God will turn our failure into success,
if we allow Him fully into our lives.
1
KINGS 8:33-34
‘When
Your people, Israel, have been defeated by enemies because they
sinned against You, and when they turn back to You and confess
Your name, then You will hear from Heaven, and You will forgive
their sins and bring them back to the land of their
forefathers.’
When
we as a nation, or as individuals, have strayed from our Lord, we
will find failure in our lives.
But when we turn back once again to Him, He will hear our
pleas and He will restore us to success, for He is a God of complete
restoration.
As
we leave 2007, we should pay close attention to the words of the
Apostle Paul.
1
CORINTHIANS 13:5-6
'Examine
yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.
Do you realize that Christ Jesus in you – unless, of
course, you fail the test? And
I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the
test.’
In
other words, look deep within your heart.
Is Jesus in you, or do you just acknowledge Him as you live
the way you desire? If
you try to live for Him, the way He wants you to live, then Jesus is
in you and you have been a major success!
So,
as we head into a new year, make sure Jesus is firmly planted in
your heart so He goes with you, covering you in God’s wonderful
grace and blessings. And then choose to leave those things that distract you from
realizing Jesus to the fullest possible extent.
Imagine
a trapeze artist swinging from one swing to another, high above the
ground with no net under him. As
he reaches out to the next swing, what must he do?
He must let go of the one he is on.
If he refuses to let go of the swing he is on, will he ever
be able to go to the next swing?
Absolutely not. And
in the same way, we must let go of our old year before we can go
purposefully into the new year.
I
said the number “7” is the number for completion.
Let 2007 be fully completed.
Let it take its rightful place in the hallway of the past.
Whether it was good or bad, helpful or not, let it be
complete by letting go of it.
And
as you let go of the past, learn to ….
2.
GRAB HOLD OF THE FUTURE
Each
new year is a representative thing.
It represents to us that there is a whole range of new
opportunities for us; an unlimited chance to have a better life.
At the start of every year, we see magazines publishing
predictions on how they think the world will be in the upcoming
year. Some of these
predictions have been accurate, but most have fallen way short of
being true.
One
such prediction was that in the 21st century, technology
would be so advanced that the world would not work more than about
20 hours a week. I think we can all agree that prediction missed the mark by a
mile.
It
seems that, no matter how far advanced technology gets, we just keep
getting busier and busier. Someone
said that the merry-go-round of life has gotten so fast that we now
have no chance of stepping off.
If that is the case, we need to go into our tomorrows with as
much help as possible.
How
do you think we will fare in the new year?
Will it actually be a year of new beginnings for us?
Will we have the wherewithal to analyze ourselves honestly,
so that we will know what areas to leave behind and what things to
bring with us? We need
to be very wise as we step through the doorway of time.
One
of the best suggestions along this line is found in –
EPHESIANS
5:15-17
"Be
very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise,
making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the
Lord’s will is."
If
we are going to make the best of the future, we need to understand a
few things. The first
thing we need to really get a grip on is that ….
-
- OUR
TIME ON THIS EARTH IS LIMITED
PSALM
90:10 states, (New International Reader’s Version)
‘We
live to be about 70. Or
we may live to be 80, if we stay healthy.
But all that time is filled with trouble and sorrow.
The years quickly pass, and then
- - we
are gone.’
Our
lives seem so long – to us. But
in reality, they are so very short.
Considering that, wouldn’t it do us good to make sure that
we use 2008 as a time to really get right with the Lord?
I am talking about getting totally sold out for Jesus, and
stop worrying about what our friends, neighbors, and co-workers
might say to you for doing so!
What
seems like forever to us is only a blink of an eye.
The psalmist writes that our life lasts no longer than the
vapor of our breath; it is here and then it is gone.
Two
teenagers who are in love can sit in a car talking and an hour only
seems like a minute to them. However,
that same hour seems like an eternity to their parents.
A
magazine ran an article about a new clock they have that keeps track
of how much time we have left to live.
It calculates an average life span of 75 years for men and 80
years for women. So, for a mere $100 you can program your gender and age into
the clock and it will tell you how much time you have left.
That
is going to the extreme, but we are told in the Bible to keep track
of our days. Now, that
doesn’t necessarily mean to know when you are going to die, but to
know your time is limited and it is your responsibility to make the
most of it for the Lord.
If
I live to the ripe old age of 75, I have nearly 5,300 days left.
That seems like a lot, but when you consider I have already
lived a little over 31,000 days, you can see that my time remaining
is growing shorter and shorter.
So, in the limited time I have left, what I should be looking
at more than anything else is what – what can I do for the Lord
while I am still here?
We
have such a short time here in this life, but it is on that short
time that all of our eternity will depend.
Therefore, I think any sane person would choose to take
personal analysis of themselves and figure out what areas of their
lives do them more harm than good; make a choice to leave them
behind as they step forward into a new year of opportunities the
Lord has given us; and to grab hold of this future with all the
gusto we have, knowing it, too, shall pass and come to a “quicker
than we are ready for” end.
We
must also prioritize so that we ….
-
- DO
NOT LOSE WHAT WE HAVE DUE TO OVERLOAD
It
is estimated that the average doctor must read over 200 medical
articles each month, just to keep up with all the new changes and
procedures? That comes
out to an average of nearly 70 articles a day.
Of course, there is no doctor who has that kind of time, and
because they don’t, many doctors feel absolutely overloaded.
They feel this way because they are expected to do something
they cannot do.
How
many times do we hear that, because somebody was so stressed from
overload, they snapped or had a melt down?
Have you ever heard of anyone having mental or emotional
problems because they had everything under control?
We
must be sure that we have our priorities set in order and that we
realize which things must be done when, so we don’t get overloaded
in 2008.
ECCLESIASTES
3:1-2
reminds us,
‘There
is a time for everything. There's
a time for everything that is done on earth.
There is a time to be born, and a time to die.’
And,
as one preacher friend of mine likes to say, ‘There is a time
to plant, and a time to be planted.’
Time
management is not as difficult as it first appears.
List all the things you have to do.
Then, go back over them, assigning a number to each thing on
your list, with #1 being the most important and on down the line
from there.
Then
make another list, listing each of the prior items in their
numerical order, starting with #1. Now you have the most important things in your life already
written down and you also know which ones should be done first.
So,
let me recap what we have so far.
As
we go into the new year, we should leave those things we consider
failures in our lives. They
might consist of bad personality traits to a doubt that God can or
will help us. No matter
what it is, if it cannot help you in the future, leave it in the
past.
We
must go into our new year with our eyes wide open so we can grab
hold of everything God is giving us. And that means to pay attention to Him, not just giving Him
that occasional thought in passing.
We can only do that if we realize our time is limited, so we
have to prioritize to keep from getting bogged down in overload.
But
there is a third thing we must do if we are going to use 2008 as a
year of new beginnings and become as successful in everything we
need to do.
We
must ….
3.
KNOW WHAT THE LORD’S WILL IS FOR US
Again,
quoting the Apostle Paul, he says for us "...to not be
foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is."
I
am assuming, that since you are in church today, you realize that
you need the Lord in your life. And I am hoping that you really believe that your
relationship with Jesus is more important than anything else in your
life.
I
am also in prayer that this knowledge you have will mean that you
will be in church even if there is a kickoff at 10:00 am on Sundays,
or even if you did make a bad choice and stay out really late on
Saturday night.
Know
that the Lord never says for you to be comfortable.
He does, however, expect you to focus on Him and not things
of this world. To do this, you must be F.A.T.
Let me explain.
You
must be FAITHFUL. How
faithful are you to Jesus Christ?
Are you faithful just when it is convenient to do so, or are
you faithful even when it isn’t? I have talked about giving your offering from a sacrificial
standpoint. If I have a
lot of money and give it from comfort, it doesn’t mean as much as
if somebody else can barely afford to give, but gives as much as
they can plus a little extra. Why?
Because they had to sacrifice something for the Lord when
they gave, and I didn’t.
That
is being faithful to Jesus. You
focus on Him and do things for His glory, even when it is an
inconvenience to you to do so.
You
must be AVAILABLE. How
available are you? Do
you go to church when it is convenient to do so or just when you
aren’t tired? Or, do
you go to church even when you are tired and would rather be doing
something else? Do you
reach out to others only if you know them, or even when you don’t
know them? In other
words, are you really available to do what God wants you to do?
And
you must be TEACHABLE. Are
you willing to listen to me or some other person in authority tell
you what you should be doing for Jesus, or do you get irritated and
quit listening? I can
tell you that for most of my adult life, I took offense when a
preacher or teacher tried to tell me I was not doing what I should
have been doing for God’s glory.
But
that is Satan using your self-will and pride to keep you away from
the Lord. My dad used
to say it like this: Listen
to all advice you can get. Then,
analyze it and study it. Discard
what will not help you and hang on to dear life to that which will
help you.
To
be a Christian who is walking forward for the Lord and not just
sitting in one spot, claiming the miracles of Christ, we need to be
F.A.T. (Faithful,
Available, and Teachable.) Are
you?
Life
is what happens to you as you are focused on your dreams.
Dreams are fine, but don’t let them rob you of your life.
And keep your life in Christ, so that you truly can be –
all you were meant to be.
If
I can close with just one thought, let me read to you what Paul said
in –
ROMANS
13:11-14 (The Message Version - paraphrased)
‘… make sure
that you don't get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all
your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and
doze off, oblivious to God. The
night is about over, and dawn is about to break.
Be awake and aware
of what God is doing! We can't afford to waste a minute, must not squander these
precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping
around or in bickering and grabbing everything in sight.
Get out of bed and
get dressed! Don't
loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute.
Dress yourselves in Christ, then be about His work while
you can!’
You
now have a choice. You
can go into the new year, taking everything with you, being dulled
to the need of changing some things, or you can go into the new year
trying your best to make sure the past is the past and the future is
for God.
But
to do so requires some very honest thinking on your part. You can no longer ignore things because you have now been
made aware. And when
you are aware of what God wants, you become accountable for doing
them.
I
want to help you go into your year of new beginnings, using it as
that – a year of brand new beginnings, of having new
opportunities, and a year of new hope.
Will you let me do that by coming forward this morning?
God
wants to give you a “do-over” for 2008.
Will you accept it?
INVITATION
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