Good morning Sunrise! Last Sunday, being New Year's Day, we started thinking about this deal about making resolutions for the 2012. While it appears not a lot of people here make a habit of participating in this age-old tradition, it does seem that we all hope for a good 2012. This is one of the reason's that we are spending the next couple of Sunday's looking at a few things we can do to make this year different.
During the week, someone sent me a list of the Top Ten New Year's Resolutions for 2012. Here they are in Letterman format:
Start washing my hands after I use the restroom.
Stop drinking orange juice after I just brushed my teeth.
Stop licking frozen flag poles.
Only get divorced and remarried once this year.
Watch more movie remakes.
Go back to school to avoid paying my student loans.
Only eat white snow
Keep it to myself that I have trouble with authority when I'm being interviewed.
Spend less than $1825 for coffee at Starbucks this year.
Claim all my pets as dependents on my taxes
The problem with making resolutions is that we lack "sticktoitness," in other words, we easily give up with trying to live into our ideals and dreams of changing certain areas of our lives. But, over the next three weeks, I am inviting you to join me to make three resolutions that I believe are crucial to making this year different and ones that we will be able to live into because they are Christ-centered and Spirit-filled.
Let's start off we joining together as we say:
This Year Will Be Different - Spiritually.
Pray with me.
Gracious God, who never changes, yet embraces change, open our hearts to witness you transformative power in our lives. Work in us and through us, so that this year will be a year of new beginnings for us, as we grow closer to you Lord. Amen.
It's sometimes hard to imagine that we have anything in common with the people we read about in the Bible because we know that we are far removed from them by time and distance. Yet, in relation to our focus today, we share a kindred spirit with a man who lived almost 3500 years ago, a man named Joshua.
You may remember that Joshua was Moses' protégé. It was Joshua who was tapped to be Moses successor and was the one that led the Hebrew wanderers, the offspring of those who were delivered out of Egyptian captivity into the Promised Land.
You would think that once the people began to settle into their new homeland that they would remember God and be grateful. At first, they probably were, but then a curious thing began to happen - they really settled in. They didn't want to seem like the outsiders or the new people anymore - they wanted to fit in. Their neighbors weren't followers of the one true God. Most of their neighbors were pantheists, so they believed in many gods. Topping their most revered gods was Baal, who was seen by many to be a god of fertility. So as the Hebrews began to acclimate in their new surroundings, they found themselves in the middle of a culture that worshipped fertility. Everywhere they looked and everything they did had some tie with fertility worship - as they
- sowed and harvest
- shopped
- built homes
- buried their dead
they were reminded of the need to their neighbors to worship Baal and their neighbors expected them to follow suit.
It probably didn't happen over night, but as they seasons changed and the exodus became more of a distant memory, the Hebrew transplants began to dabble a bit in Baal worship. They remembered that many of their ancestors had also worshipped Baal, so if it was good enough for granny, it can't be all that bad. Besides, what does it hurt to make an offering to another god - we all know which God is really in charge right? But over time, as they increase their patronage of Baal, their worship and allegiance to God waned.
Joshua, sensing the growing indifference towards God, reminds the people of all that God had done:
- leading Abraham throughout Canaan and giving him many descendants
- giving the hill country of Seir to Esau and leading Jacob to Egypt
- sending Moses and Aaron to rescue their forefathers from captivity by the Egyptians
- as the Egyptian pursued them, God parted the sea to provide safe passage and then drowned the Egyptians as they followed them
- as the Amorites fought against them, God destoryed them and the Hebrews took their land
- then as they crossed the Jordan, God gave Jericho and the lands of the Amorites, Perrizites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites all to them
So, Joshua reminded them of all God had done for them. He reminded them of from where they came and how it was God who brought them thus far.
Then as we read in Joshua 24:14 and 15, Joshua issues them this challenge and proclamation:
Joshua 24:14-15
14 "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
If we think about it for just a moment, we can begin to see that we really can relate to this. We too can fall into the same trap that the Hebrews found themselves in. You see, the great danger that threatens us, all the time, is that when we get our bearings from our culture, we lose our bearings with God.
(Video Clip from The Mighty Macs)
Too often, people find themselves trying live two different lives - a life that they know deep within the fabric of their being is the life God intends for them and a life that meshes with the expectations of the world. But just as we saw the coach in the clip say to the player, you can't do both. The question that begs to be asked, when we come to our time on earth to end, which life will we want to have lived? It's a question that we need to ask of ourselves. Joshua challenge is for us too, my brothers and sisters:
Joshua 24:15
15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
Some may ask, "Why can't we do both? Why can't we be spiritual and cultural?" Simply put friends, God is counter-cultural.
As we think about it for a bit, we realize that what the world promotes most are things that feed a selfish appetite. While at first they seem rather innocuous, they lead us astray. Like a compass that is a little off a true bearing because of some aberrant magnetic field, in the long-run, you find yourself way off.
So, how can we keep oriented? What can we do to encounter God as often and as musch as we can? Take a few moments to discuss that with those sitting around you
[Allow discussion]
Now for me, which may or may not be some ways and means that you discussed, here is what I plan to do:
- Bible - be more intentional
- People - surround myself with God-minded people
- Worship - find various avenues
- Media - watch what I listen, watch and read
Again, these are my goals to increase my spirituality. They may not be right for you though. Each one of us needs to discern for him or herself how to best grow spiritually.
All of this will sound good but will be useless unless put into action. Need accountability. I have a small group of other pastors that I meet with weekly who will help hold me accountable. This is a crucial element that too many overlook. But for you, don't skip it - find someone to be an accountability partner.
So, some may till not be convinced of the need to become more spiritual though. Let me just share a personal testimony.
Over the last year, as you know, my world was rocked. 2011 was the year of death for my family. Not only did we experience the deaths of my parents, but also of several close friends and acquaintances that I have not mentioned.
Some have praised me for how I've held up. But to be brutally honest, I don't deserve that. Most of the year, I was spiritually devoid. My devotional life entered a vegetative state. My prayer life - almost non-existent, not because I didn't believe in God or even that I was mad at God - I simply didn't want to talk with anyone - not even God.
You see, I didn't hold myself up - God held me up because I had established long before a relationship that could take me through this year of darkness. It was what I call my "Stored-up Faith" that sustained me.
A few days ago, I heard someone sing an old and dearly-loved hymn. While I have grown up hearing it and singing it, I heard it afresh the other day. It was the third verse that struck accord with me, as it was sung in a minor key, which gave it a dark tone, but the words still afforded the comfort. Look with me now, as we begin to close out this time of reflection, at verse three of Amazing Grace:
Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
'tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead me home.
[Prayer)
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