Never Ending New Year

Any plans for the New Year? I planned to put a new post up each Monday so I could get into a rhythm and allow more of my collected thoughts to find their way into written words. However, this is Tuesday, so I am late already. Now I face the choice of being disappointed in the ability to follow through on something so simple and contemplate the downward spiral of failure or just start over where I am and move on. Often the most disappointed person in our lives is our-self. We have our personal goals and unspoken expectations that may be unrealized or put on hold. Disappointments no one else can see. The New Year is often a time of reflection and the intention to move forward with some aspect of our lives. Coming up short can lead to a feeling discouragement and, for some, the threat of depression. We have mental conversations asking why we didn't get up earlier, exercise, write the letter, pray, read God's Word, sort that pile of stuff on the kitchen counter and a plethora of other simple things we set our minds to do but our bodies didn't follow through. It can, indeed, be discouraging. I would like to share a thought or two on avoiding the molasses swamp of personal despondency. I suggest you just look to the new year and try again.

Just how can this help? The reality is that you and I live in a never ending new year. The one we celebrate on January first is the traditional western celebration yet it is actually artificial. It is a random day chosen a few thousand years ago and the power and influence of western culture brought about pretty much global compliance. However, the Chinese and the Hebrew folk celebrate their accepted New Years on a different day. Yes, they agree to go along with the January first date so we all can interact on the same calendar but that does not negate the difference of cultural opinions. Looking to the Word of God it seems God allows every day to be a new year. We do not have to wait for some magical day to come to start fresh. Every day is a new opportunity to move forward.

I am of the belief that God is intimately involved with creation. He is not removed from the daily realities of humanity and this world. This does cause me some significant theological distress for it brings things I have been indoctrinated with into contrast with what I see in Scripture. That being said, I will save that discussion for another post. Today I want to postulate that God was not finished with creation after those six amazing days. Yes, the basics were done, however, creation continues all the time. You and I were, "Fearfully and wonderfully made" Psalm 139:14, So God created something new when He created you. Everyday is a new act of creation. Thus, every day is a new beginning, a new year, as it were.

If you have received Messiah Jesus as Savior and Lord you are a, "new creation" according to 2 Corinthians 5:17. You are not recycled material, God is making you new. If you feel like a failure, no worries, "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness" Lamentations 3:22-23. New mercies every mornings. Not remnant or leftover mercies, God's mercy toward us is new every day. Therefore we, "walk in newness of life" Romans 6:4. Each morning is a new day, a new creation of God for you and I to enjoy.  A new day to join the Apostle Paul's encouragement from Philippians 3 in forgetting our past failures and to press on to that upward call in Christ Jesus. 

If you take a moment you may well think of other "new" things that are offered to us as each day unfolds. God is at work around us. He is at work in us. He offers new possibilities with the dawn of every morning. Do not allow the spirit of darkness cloud the brightness of His work in you. The Lord did not bring you this far to leave you now. So it is time to begin again, and again, and again, for He is not finished and you are His chosen one. We are invited to celebrate a new year with Messiah as our Savior and friend. So Happy New Years, we only have 160 of them left before next January first.

 

Renewed Every Morning

What are your thoughts when you watch the sun rise? Whether you are sitting alone on a beach, watching it burn through snow covered pines, or just see it creep through your kitchen window, there is something moving about a sunrise. A new day has begun. It is untainted by anything we have done and it holds  a promise of things to come. I know for some the new day is a painful reminder of things lost. Another day waking to an empty bed where a beloved spouse once lay. An expectation of painful cancer treatments or the hollow realization of another day to battle depression or abuse. Yet even in those circumstances a new day still can offer hope. In the midst of the Lamentations of Jeremiah he writes these often quoted words, "Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,
because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). The Hebrew word for "mercies" is, "חֶסֶד", hesed. It is a rich word that does not come easily into English. Often translated "lovingkindness". It is a reflection of the reciprocal love based in God's irrevocable covenant with His people. We are loved by Him and nothing can change that. We experience more of the depth of this love when we love God in return. David knew of this unchanging love, even through his failures. Jeremiah expresses it here in the midst of God's necessary discipline upon His people. Every day brings the reminder of God's unfailing love.

The Apostle Paul reminds the rather dysfunctional assembly of believers in Corinth that "love never fails". Pretty much every thing else will, however God's love is constant, no matter what the circumstances. Every sunrise is an affirmation of that truth. We may fail but God's love never fails. We are not worthless losers. Ephesians 2:10 assures us that, "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." We are new creations, (2 Corinthians 5:17). The sunrise tells us that we are no longer those who walk in darkness. Peter gives this encouragement, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 1:9). And even though we may struggle in the journey Paul includes us in his letter to the Philippians letting us know that He Who began this good work will complete it, til the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6).

The world and our circumstances my try to tell us otherwise. However, we are God's chosen ones. We are loved and given a fresh dose of His unyielding love and compassion every morning. No scraps of grace from the day before. A new supply of the needed love and compassion of God with every sunrise. We are confronted daily with the bad news of the day. It seems much of the media is intent on discouraging us and marketing fear. Even the good news is couched in the darkest background and embedded with the cautions that even the good news is not really good at all. Stay under the covers and avoid the sunrise. The darkness is your friend. The light is too scary to deal with right now so cower in the shadows. That simply is not the message of God's Word. Paul says we are more than conquerors. We get renewed and rearmed with God's mercy and compassion every morning. Mercy from Him and compassion to share. We were created for good works not debilitating anxiety. And if ever you feel abandoned just praise Him. David writes, "But You are holy, O You that inhabits the praises of Israel" (Psalm 22:3). God is enthroned, elevated and becomes intimate and obvious to His people in the midst of their praise.

We are children of the light and called to reflect the glory of our God and Savior. We cannot do that hiding in the comfort of the darkness. Life is not easy. Each day will bring troubles of its own. No day passes without some kind of challenge. Thus, God provides a new measure or treasure of mercy, lovingkindness, and compassion every sunrise. They are provided new for you every morning. Great is His faithfulness. So get up and bask in the light of His warmth and compassion one more day. For you are His and He will never leave you alone.

Torah Is Out to Get You!

Have you ever known someone, a friend, family member or coworker, who is  pretty nice guy but fully committed to the world's dreams? They work hard, but tend to take credit for what goes right yet are pretty quick to case a cloud upon someone else when the project hits a snag. They are not nasty, however, their language is sprinkled with a bit of profanity. They long for the corner office while their cubical is decorated with a poster of their dream yacht and a swimsuit calendar. They pass along the office or neighborhood gossip. They once confided in you that they dreaded the upcoming parent visit, as their dad is dumber than a fence post and their mom has been known to act like a female dog. They have no real use for God. They are not angry with Him, they just don't get why you waste your time with that religious stuff. Besides, that old morality would get in the way of the weekend trysts with his various lady friends. Then things suddenly change. A loved one gets ill or they lose their job. Perhaps, the opposite happens. The promotion comes with the corner office and a company car attached. There is now enough for the down payment on that yacht. Yet, be it pain or great achievement life is not fulfilled. There is a gnawing emptiness that is never satisfied. Through the process of many conversations they accept your invitation to visit your church, just this one time, just so you will stop asking.

The visit goes well. Another visit follows. And another. Then one Monday morning they tell you it all makes sense. They have accepted Christ. Confessed their need for the Savior and have given God control. There is no sudden miraculous transformation, however, the changes are evident. Being with believers is now important as is his Bible reading. He shares credit and encourages those he works with. He accepts responsibility and even covers for others mistakes. The calendar comes down and the picture of his Compassion International child takes its place. He tells you he is selling the yacht so he can go to Haiti on a mission trip next year. He walks away from the gossip and over lunch he asks you to pray that the Lord would send him a Godly woman to share his life with. One weekend He lets you know that he will miss the bible study as he is taking his parents out to dinner, just to let them know how much they mean to him. How has all this come to pass? Why the change in behavior?

We could say they got "saved". Or that 2 Corinthians 5:17 is coming true, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." They have the Holy Spirit and because they love the Lord they want to please Him. John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments." But does this really explain the change? Could it be that they are now under a  New Covenant? Most evangelical believers would agree that one who has given their life to Messiah Jesus, is under the promised New Covenant. For this clearly explains the change. Simply put, touched by the grace of God, this new believer is becoming Torah observant. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is bringing them into compliance with the Law of Moses. Isn't that amazing?

Am I correct that you are just a bit confused? Obedience to Torah and the Law? No, this one has been saved by grace alone. The Law has nothing to do with this. Well, take a breath. Where do we first learn of the New Covenant God will make with His people? We find this good news in Jeremiah 31:31-33, "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." With the coming of Messiah Jesus, by the power of God's Spirit, a New Covenant has been established. No longer are God's people struggling to be obedient by their own resources, God will implant His Law, His Torah, in our minds and write it on our hearts.

So the new believer you know has replace his gods with the One true God. He no longer takes God's name in vain and has cast away the idols from his life. He longs to be with other believers and has come to honor his father and mother. He does not steal credit or murder another's reputation for personal gain. He does not covet but desires to give to others generously. He actually wants to be with one Godly woman for life. Hmmm. Check the list. It seems he has unwittingly begun to follow all ten of those pesky commandments Moses brought down from the mountain. According to Romans 12:2, he is no longer being conformed, or pressed into the world's mold, but a transformation is happening as God renews his mind, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

Now you may disagree. You may just want to see the marvel of God's grace here. That "Law" thing is supposed to be done away with. Just grace in your life. That is fine with me. I am not here to argue with you. I just wanted to point out where that New Covenant you enjoy being under came from. But  you might want to do a little personal inventory. I would not be surprised if you were in the same position as that new believer, obeying Torah without even realizing it. You still may object. Fine, however, as believers we cannot deny the Word and promise of God. Like it or not you are under the New Covenant. Admit it or not God is putting the Law of Moses in your mind and writing Torah on your heart. As a follower of Messiah Jesus there is no place to hide. Torah is out to get you.