Monthly Archives: December 2017

God Makes All Things New

Alfred Tennyson said. “Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come. . .”  What a word picture! Do you stand at the brink of this new year wishing all things could be new for you, looking with hope towards this new year?

It is true, many people celebrate the New Year with a sigh of relief concerning things difficult, painful and troublesome that occurred in the old year with an expectation of better things to come in the New Year. Each New Year brings with it the promise of a fresh start, and new blessings.

God is a fan of “new!”
New means something that is just brought into existence, or something that is different from the old, or former things.

The term “new” is used approximately 131 times in the Old Testament and 54 times in the New Testament. God talks about all types of new things: a new name (Is. 62:2; Rev.2:17); a new song (Is. 42:10; Ps. 40:3); a new covenant (Jer. 31:31; 1 Cor. 11:25); a new commandment (John 13:34); a new birth (1 Peter 1:3); a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26); a new man (2 Cor. 5:17); a new life (Rom. 6:4); a new attitude, and a new self (Eph. 4:23-24).

The thought of ushering in a new year with God holds promise for real change.

Re-think Resolutions
All newness begins in God, because it is He who makes all things new (Rev. 21:5), including you and me.

Most people approach the New Year with the thought of change; of some-how making things different, better or new. Many people make resolutions – a list of things they want/need to change; things they want to add to their life; things they want to re-new or re-do.

A resolution is a resolve, a firm decision to do something that you were not doing.  A resolution is a statement, a plan for change.

Is there anything you need to change, or want to change? (Maybe you want to change an attitude about life, or about someone; a habit that is harmful to your physical or mental health; a pattern of hurtful interactions within your relationships; a mindset of being critical and negative; a prideful or self-sufficient spirit; or _______________ (you fill it in).

A Resolution by Any Other Name Is…
Believe it or not, changing our mind or renewing our mind is repentance! In the New Testament of the Bible, repent comes from the Greek word metanoia which means a change of mind; a change in the inner man; a change of thinking and of purpose. In the Old Testament repentance is the concept of turning to God and away from sinful ways.

Repentance involves a turning away from our “selves” and our ways, and a turning to God.

Acts 17:30 describes repentance in a very clear way:
“God overlooked the times when people didn’t know any better. But now He commands everyone everywhere to turn to Him and change the way they think and act.”

Repentance is a word that some modern thinkers find repugnant or old fashioned. Yet to change how we think and act is the very definition of repentance.

The New Year is a time when we think of change. Resolutions are resolves and plans to repent and change.

Renewal Begins in Our Mind
In truth, God calls us to change all the time. God is all about change.

In Romans 12:2, God speaks to us about change and renewal:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed (changed) by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

In other words, do not remain molded to your old, ineffective ways of thinking about your life and then acting, but allow your way of thinking to be changed.

Part B of this verse indicates that the renewing of our mind involves the will of God. It involves learning how to think about life and our selves the way God sees us; the way God wants.

Renewing our mind in this manner involves the Word of God. God’s will is in His Word, the Bible. Make a resolve to read the Word of God every day, so that you can know the will of God and begin to change, to have your “self” and your life transformed.

Change Is Refreshing
As we read through to the end of this verse we see that such a renewing by changing our mind produces something good and pleasing. Isn’t this the main idea of why we want to change certain things in ourselves and our lives?

Such change or repentance leads to inner peace, contentment, strength and refreshing, that comes from the presence of God in our life as indicated in Acts 3:19.

“Now change your mind and attitude to God and turn to Him so He can cleanse away your sins and send you wonderful times of refreshment from the presence of the Lord.”

God, Our Power to Change
There have been years I have made resolutions concerning things I wanted to change and things I needed to change, yet within 3 months of those resolutions I gave up.

You may say well you didn’t have the right plan; or you did not persevere; or you did not have the encouragement from others to change. Possibly all those are true, but the truth is I tried to do them in my own strength.

Change is hard. It is a process that occurs overtime. It does require perseverance, self-discipline and support from others; but, it also requires the acknowledgement of the active presence of God in our lives and the turning to Him. Turning away from our “self,” our thinking, and turning to God is not a one-time event, it is a daily, even hourly, act of trust and reliance on God, His love and His power.

God is the champion of change and He provides what we need to change.

2 Corinthians 3:18 clearly describes this process:
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

The English Standard version of this verse indicates that with the help of God we are being changed to be like Him, to have His heart and His character degree by degree. This is a truth.

The fact is that God is working in me, that I am not left to make these changes on my own, and, that I am not expected to change overnight, gives me hope. God’s life giving and life changing power are working with me, in me and for me.

So, I urge you to re-think your resolutions this year. Bring God into your resolutions! Renew your mind, and turn to God to be transformed. Remember these changes are a part of our walk with God. We may fail at times, but He will not fail us.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness”  Lamentations 3:22-23
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P.S. A friend of mine recently published a book about chances for change. The title of this book is “Every Day Is A New Chance” by Jeanie Shaw. It is published by Illumination Publishers.

 

 

God, the Gift Giver

During the Christmas holidays many people practice a tradition of gift giving. However, there are those who criticize this as materialistic. While the gift giving aspect of the holiday can be characterized by greed and commercialism, I would like to suggest a different way of looking at this practice. Although we know neither the day or season in which God Incarnate came into this world, we do know the scriptures say that God gave His Son, John 3:16.

God gave of Himself in coming down in the” Son of God – the Anointed One” to live among men, to become the true sacrifice of atonement for sin. This was the greatest gift of all. Gift giving by us, at any time of the year, imitates the love and grace of God.

God has given us many gifts. Let’s review some of the gifts God gives to us. It is difficult to talk about just one of these gifts, because they are inter-related. They all flow into each other.

 Grace unto Salvation
There is a popular Christmas song that talks about being nice or good as meriting gifts at Christmas time. Yet, God gave the gift of His Son when we were at our worst state; still His gift came from His love and good intent to us.

  • “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
  • “For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” Romans 5:6
  • “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5

I am very drawn to this next passage since it shows that God’s grace was not just an afterthought. God did not just give something to give it; nor did He re-gift something. God did not impulsively or on the spur of the moment get and give this gift. But He deliberately chose to give this gift; carefully planned and worked through time the giving of this gift of grace. This makes me feel especially loved and provided for.

“He has saved us and called us to a holy life–not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.”
2 Timothy 1:9

Grace into His presence
Through the gift of God’s Son Jesus, we receive the gift of coming into the presence of God. We can come before “God Most High, God Almighty” in the grace that Jesus gives us.

  • “But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah.” Ephesians 2:13
  • “In Him (Jesus) and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Ephesians 3:12
  • “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.” Romans 5:1-2

Not only are we given the gift of coming into His presence, but His presence actually abides in us. What a gift! God allows us to share in His divine nature. This is a mind blowing truth.

  • “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”
    2 Peter 1:3-4
  • “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” Acts 2:38-39

The Gift of Peace
Jesus has come to give us peace; peace within our hearts; peace within our relationships with others and peace between us and God.

  • “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!” John 16:33
  • “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…” Romans 5:1
  • “God was pleased to have all of himself live in Christ. God was also pleased to bring everything on earth and in heaven back to himself through Christ. He did this by making peace through Christ’s blood sacrificed on the cross. Once you were separated from God. The evil things you did showed your hostile attitude. But now Christ has brought you back to God by dying in his physical body. He did this so that you could come into God’s presence without sin, fault, or blame.” Col.1:19-22

The Gift of Joy
Most people pursue happiness. Who does not want to be happy? Even the Declaration of Independence of the United States claims that the pursuit of happiness is an unalienable right of every human being.

God gives us more that circumstantial happiness, He provides a true deep, abiding joy. This joy remains, even when there are difficulties in our life. This joy is given to us, a gift through Jesus.

  • “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:10-12
  • “Although you’ve never seen Him, you love Him. Even though you don’t see Him now, you trust Him and so rejoice with a glorious joy that is too much for words. You are receiving the goal of your faith: your salvation.” 1 Peter 1:8-9

Gifts to Treasure
There are many gifts given to us from God. You can probably name some right now. Over this holiday season take some time out and meditate on the gifts that God has given us in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Take time to give God due thanks and praise for the good gifts He has given you, in much the same way you would thank your friend or relative for that special gift they gave you.

After the holidays, as you move into the new year, establish the habit of reading the Word of God daily. As you read look for the treasures God has given you.

God in The Nothing Times

One evening in a woman’s Bible study group we talked about the “nothing times”. It started when a young woman said something like this, “I moved here about five years ago. I had a baby who turned out to have serious life threatening health issues. My whole life has changed.  My husband and I used to be respected leaders in my church. I was a professional in the field of law and had a respected job. But now I am nothing. No one knows who I am or what I was.”  So we talked about those times in our life when we feel as if we are worth nothing, and we are doing nothing.

“Nothing  times,” such as experiencing a major health problem that alters our life style; losing our job and title; experiencing a major financial loss; marital problems; problems with children, and countless difficulties and life changes, can reveal what our identity and life is based on.

The truth is in order to make it through these times we need to have a value beyond ourselves, our position, looks and what we can do or achieve. Who we are needs to be defined by something greater than our appearance, education, position, achievements, health or success in life.

Great Men and Nothing Times
The Bible tells stories of men and women who experienced “nothing times.” Nothing times or desert times, are those times when everything we associated with who we are and what we do that gives meaning to our lives is stripped away. We may feel like a no body, a nothing, a non-contributor, but it is in those times we can learn whose we really are and how the truth we learn can change our life.

We could study the “nothing times” of Abraham, Sarah, Joseph, David, Elijah, Elisha, Mary, Paul and others, but today let’s look briefly at Moses.

Moses’ Nothing Time
Moses was a prince of Egypt but was demoted to a shepherd in the desert (Exodus 2:11-25).  Truly this must have seemed like a “nothing time” to Moses. After all, Moses had been educated in the pharaoh’s courts, trained as a soldier in the Egyptian army, entrusted with leadership and responsibility, experienced wealth, luxury and privilege. Moses was in running to be the next ruler of Egypt.

What a come down it must have been for Moses when he found himself a fugitive running from Egyptian officials and then tending sheep in a desert. Yet, God used this time when Moses probably felt like a “nobody,” who was doing nothing of importance, to teach Moses how to live in relationship with God, and what his true identity and purpose is.

This “nothing time” is referred to as Moses’ desert experience. During this time, Moses learned to be humble before God. Moses fell in love with God during this time and became deeply bonded to God. It was because of this humility and bond that God was able to use Moses in such a powerful way. Even though Moses was well educated and powerful within himself, God worked through Moses’ humility and Godly devotion more than any of Moses’ previous education and training.

A key for Moses was that he did not hold unto his past position, or continue to define himself as a privileged son of Egypt, but rather he opened himself to learn of God and to do God’s will, God’s way. God used Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt and to bring Israel into a covenant relationship with God.

The Glory Times
As we read through Exodus, we see what a beautiful and close relationship Moses developed with God through his nothing time, as well as time when he led God’s people through their wilderness. Through humility and faith, Moses developed an intimate relationship with God so much so that Moses had the faith to ask God to see His glory, and God did as Moses requested in Ex. 33:18-23

“Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”.

Something Out of “My Nothing”
As we read through the Bible, we can see many other people who had those “nothing times.” Some, such as King Saul, responded in pride and fear, and as a result were unable to be used by God. Others responded in faith.  In conclusion, as we reflect on Moses we see some of the keys to surviving and growing in the “nothing” or desert times:

  • relinquish your hold on your  self-made identity, value and purpose
  • define yourself by your relationship with God
  • be humble and open yourself to God’s working; allow Him to show you what you need to know about yourself and Him
  • trust that God is in control, He sees your distress and is working in and for you behind the scenes.

I believe that all of the seemingly nothing times in our life can bring us closer to God and help us see Him in a way that we may have never seen Him before. The question is:
“Are you willing to look to God during the “nothing” times?”

A Verse for Thought
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10