Calvin Synod Herald, 2018 (118. évfolyam, 1-2. szám)
2018-01-01 / 1-2. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 7 A New Start for The New Year Have you made any New Year’s Resolutions?? If so, you have plenty of company. Researchers have found that about one third of Americans make resolutions each New Year. It’s human nature - when we pass some significant milestone, like a New Year, to pause and evaluate how we’re doing. And oftentimes we find areas that need improvement. The areas people most often resolve to change are fairly consistent: lose weight, exercise, get out of debt, spend more time with family, and without fail, most of us fall short of our resolutions. It’s human nature to WANT TO do better. It’s ALSO human nature to fail. Most resolutions last about three days to three weeks, and certainly by February, we are right back in the old ruts we had promised ourselves we’d get out of. It doesn’t take long for reality to snuff out what little bit of willpower and enthusiasm we might have had. Research has found that less than 10 % of us succeed in our resolutions. Why??? Why is it so hard to change??? Because people often set unrealistic goals for themselves. We often fail because we underestimate how difficult it is to change. And SOME fail in their resolutions because they lack the commitment necessary to follow through. They have developed a pattern of quitting whenever they experience difficulty - and so they have grown to accept - and even EXPECT failure. All of this has led many to reject New Year’s resolutions altogether. The thinking goes, “Why attempt something that is doomed to fail??? Why pretend that change is possible when you know you will blow it?” To some, resolution-making is a waste of time because it leaves them feeling worse about themselves. I understand the fear of failure - but at the same time, all of us have areas in our lives that NEED improvement - all of us have things we should do better. And January has been considered the perfect time to make those changes for centuries. The month was called “January” because the Romans named it after their god Janus - depicted as having two faces - one looking back at the old year with regret, and the other face looking forward to the New Year with hope. The Romans understood that at the start of a new year we can’t help but be hopeful of improvement. Maybe you look back at 2017 with sadness. Maybe you see failure in the old year. And so now, looking into 2018, you have a desire to do SOME things differently. We know from God’s word, How, we CAN get a fresh start this New Year. There are three things you need to do according to the Apostle Paul: 1. First, if you want a new start, then you must forget the things which are behind. Listen to his wisdom in verse 13, “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind...” If you hope to change, there are some things in the past that you need to forget. Two things: You need to forget about your failures. You need to confess them before God and move on. If what you have done is under the blood of Christ - then QUIT obsessing over it. God has promised forgiveness to us on the basis of our union with Christ. And the Gospel writer John reminds us that “if we confess our sins, HE is FAITHFUL and JUST to FORGIVE us our sins and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.” Paul said in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” And God told Peter in Acts chapter 10, “what God hath cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” Why??? Because as the psalmist declared in psalm 103, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” I want to remind you according to God’s Word, “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Don’t let past failures define you. When Paul looked back, he saw a lot of things he was ashamed of. How he had blasphemed the name of Jesus... persecuted the church and opposed the Gospel. BUT he was no longer that man - he had been forgiven. He refused to allow his past failures to define who he was. God no longer saw him that way. And neither does he see YOU that way. Sometimes it’s good to look back- to remind ourselves of the greatness of God’s grace. It keeps us humble - it makes us thankful. But to dwell on the past is dooming you to repeat it. As I have said before, look at the difference between the windshield and the rearview mirror. The rearview mirror is much smaller, because it is designed for us to briefly glance at - not stare at. Safe driving requires you to focus on what’s in front of you, not what’s going on behind you. And the same came be said of life. If you want to succeed, you’ve GOT to let go of the past. But past failures are not ALL we need to forget - we need to forget past successes too. In fact, when you read what Paul says in this chapter, he tells us about all the things he left behind... how he would not allow his previous successes to prevent him from being all that God wanted him to be NOW. Past victories can lead us to be satisfied, nostalgic - and virtually useless. I know a lot of Christians who are virtually useless in the work today, because all they think about is what they Continued on Page 8
