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New Year. New Challenges. Same Mission.
January 2, 2019
As we enter a new year, the one thought that undoubtedly is on every mind is that of new beginnings. Regardless of our opinions or commitments to new year’s resolutions, we still ponder what will be and how we can start anew. It could be that mistakes were made in the previous year that we would like to forget or maybe we experienced more than our fair share of sorrows that led to us counting the days down till 2018 was over. It could also be that we experienced the most significant gains in our lives and wanted to build on those gains. Whatever the reason we all like to enter the new year with a clean slate. A fresh start and a hope that this will be a better year than the one before.
The sad fact is that most aspirations to start over and enact change in one’s life usually fails, while the same habits are typically picked up again, and the year ends entering into the cycle of hopeful thinking for the following year. But what is the key to seeing a change in your life? Our understanding can be found by examining the connection between a building, painting, and a meal. All three of these things must have a good beginning with the right components to see a pleasing result. The building needs a good foundation with all the right materials to be completed as structurally sound. A painting first needs the right shapes and lines with the corresponding colors and brush strokes for a beautiful image to emerge. And a meal will not be a success without following the recipe, with the right ingredients, from start to finish. As a child of God, the “right ingredients” have all been made available to us. All of these: the blood, the baptism in the Spirit, the victorious life in the Spirit, prayer, the word of God, financial blessings are all the right ingredients. It is what we do with them and how we start that determines the outcome.
We probably have all heard at one time or another the parable of the talents. In Jesus’ story, men were given a certain amount of money by a person of nobility to invest. Two of the men took what they had received and invested it wisely and saw a return on their investment. But one man with an unbelieving and indifferent heart hid the amount he was given and did nothing. The first two men were rewarded because of their faithfulness and the value of their investments. The one man who did nothing was reprimanded, and the small amount he had been entrusted was taken and given to another. One thing to learn from this divine parable is that we must use God's provisions or ultimately we will end in failure. I believe this is the year that we can begin again and see a great return on the investments of God's provisions. The key though is we must throw the seed into the field. We must take action if we are to experience God's will. And it all begins with the first step, a start in the right direction.
As we survey what is before us individually as believers and collectively as a church, we see that the field to sow in is still there and the commission still stands given to us by our Lord. Though our challenges may change from year to year, these things remain. Nevertheless it the magnitude of the obstacles that cripple us from seeing accomplishment. The insurmountable apostasy keeps us from believing in revival for our churches. The opposition from all sides seems to prevent the work of God we are doing from expanding. The great need with little to no resources to fulfill those needs appears to stop us. The resistance from a loved one to the gospel disheartens us from continuing in prayer for them. On and on I could go, but we must not lose faith in our God for He is the one who has given us what we need. 2 Peter 1:3-4 states, "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
If we are going to see results, we must first sow the seed. Hosea 10:12 reads, "Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you." The prophet Hosea here says that if anything is going to happen, the hardness of the ground must be broken up, which represents our heart. Then we are to sow in righteousness which merely is planting the seed or the action needed to see the results we want. Finally, the rain of heaven comes, and the seed is watered. New life springs forth. All because we started to see it accomplished with what God had provided us. If you want to see a change this year and to see God move, then start by taking the first action to see it accomplished. And by God’s enablement, you will see it!
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