12/29/2024
New Year
We are about to start a new calendar year. Many people make resolutions – “this year I will get in shape”, or “this year I will study harder”, or “this year I will be nicer.” What if we went to the extreme and said, “this year, I will be a new person – the person that God created me to be?”
New Mind
Romans 12:1-2 (NASB)
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
God is calling us to offer ourselves, not as physical sacrifices, but as spiritual sacrifices. This is our spiritual, or rational, or logical service of worship to Him. This is one of the paradoxes in the Christian. A sacrifice in the Old Testament always died, but we are called on to be a “living and holy sacrifice.” Jesus told us that each one of us needs to “deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).
In our own strength, this is impossible, but if we focus on Jesus and make Him the most important Person in our lives, and serving Him the most important task in our lives, He will give us the strength to see it through. Verse 2 above is one of the keys. We need to not “go with the flow” (“do not be conformed to this world”). Going along to get along is easy. It’s like floating in the middle of a river – you just let it take you wherever it goes. God has called us to do the hard thing – swim against the current. The word “holy” means separate. We are called to be separate from the ungodly things in the world, and separated to and for God Himself.
Sound Judgment
Many times, our opinion of ourselves is not accurate. We might feel like we are better/more capable than we are (the young boy above). We might feel like we are less capable than we are. Knowing and accepting who we are and where we are is important. God has created each one of us with special gifts that should be used for His glory.
Romans 12:3 (NASB)
3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
God has given each one of us “a measure of faith.” Your faith might be enough to move mountains (Matthew 21:21). Maybe you are asking God for faith to believe in Him. A humble heart is what He is looking for. We need to not be prideful; we should not think “more highly” of ourselves than we “ought to think.” Jesus showed us incredible humility. He left His place as creator of the universe and came to live with us, being born as a baby, completely dependent on His earthly parents, then offered Himself up as a sacrifice for our sins. Throughout His life, He walked humbly among us, never sinning, showing us the way to live.
Ultimate Humility
Philippians 2:5-8 (NASB)
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
A humble person is next in line, but lets someone else go first.
A humble person might tell the boss that their coworker deserves the promotion instead of them.
A humble person sees someone else doing well and is happy for them, not jealous.
A humble person thanks God for all of their blessings, even if they don’t have much.
A humble person know that without Christ, they can do nothing.
A humble person shares what they have, knowing that all good things come from God.
A humble person recognizes that God created them, just as they are, because God loves them. A humble person will look for God’s will and purpose in their life, because they are grateful for the opportunity to be of service to the Creator of the Universe.
Perfect Example
Matthew 20:25-28 (NASB)
25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.
26 “It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,
27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave;
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Jesus didn’t just tell us how to serve each other; He showed us. He gave His life, so we could live. Don’t look to control other people. Look for ways to help them, to serve them.
Ephesians 5:1-2 (NASB)
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;
2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
New Birth
Every new birth begins with a new life. A man named Nicodemus came to Jesus with questions. Jesus told him that he needed a fresh start. He needed to be “born again.”
John 3:3 (NASB)
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Being born again is when a person decides to live the rest of their life for Jesus, and give Him control (make Him Lord) of their life. They understand their own sin, and that Jesus willingly paid the penalty for their sin.
This is a new life, and a new way of living. It starts now and continues into eternity, with Jesus, in heaven.
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