Calvin Synod Herald, 2012 (113. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2012-01-01 / 1-2. szám
6 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD Life Priorities for the Coming Year Matthew 6:25-34 25 By the grace of God we have reached the New Year. The Christmas Holidays are over, Epiphany has come and gone. And I think that at the beginning of the New Year is a great time to make some adjustments in your life. You might call it an annual checkup or tune up. Some of us might need a complete overhaul. If so, I know someone who is good at that sort of thing! He does internal overhauls, extreme makeover heart edition, Divine Design, This Old House Made New, and many more! The temptation we often have around New Years is to try to manufacture these changes ourselves. We try to muster the inspiration and intestinal fortitude to change areas of our life with which we are unhappy. And as most of us know, sometimes it only takes a few days or weeks until we don’t even remember what we were trying to accomplish in the first place. Let me tell you a story: There was a man who moved into a retirement community to spend the rest of his life there. It wasn’t long until he had made a number of friends. There was one lady he was especially attracted to, and she was attracted to him as well. They spent a lot of time together doing whatever people do in retirement communities. Finally one evening he proposed, asking her to marry him. The next morning he woke up and remembered his proposal, but he couldn’t remember her answer. So he approached his lady friend and said, "I’m really embarrassed. I proposed to you last night but I can’t remember if you said ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’” “Oh, thank goodness!” she replied. “I remembered saying ‘Yes’ but I couldn’t remember who asked me.” I think we too like the man in the story can forget important things quite easily as we move through life. So today, I want to keep things really simple and leave you with a few short thoughts from Matt. 6 that will help us make important changes with God’s help in the year 2012. Number One: Seek God’s Rule in every area of your life God’s kingdom speaks of His leadership and authority. He is not simply our adviser; He is our King before whom we bow in reverence; whose wisdom we do not challenge; whose ways we must not deviate from - all because we recognize His rule over all things and choose to be under His rule - a part of His Kingdom! When we refuse to do things God’s way, we are moving in the opposite direction of the King! There was a time in the life of Jesus when He taught the disciples to pray, He told them to pray, " Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Seeking the kingdom of God first means that we are seeking to do His will, yielding every area of our lives to what He wants, rather than what we want. So, I suggest: let’s examine ourselves. Is God ruling in your life? Is He the Boss? Does He have the final say in your family? Do you seek Him together as a family? Do you pray together, worship together? Do you talk about the Lord together? What is one thing you can do to seek God’s will in your family? Does God have the final say in your relationships? Do you love people unselfishly, looking out for their long-term interests? God wants us to value every human being, knowing that he or she is created in His image. That leaves no room for using other people for what we can get out of them. People are not tools to better your life! God wants us to get to know people, recognizing the value He has placed in them, and helping bring out the best in them! Here is a tough question: Do you ever allow people into your life who can do nothing for you? Perhaps they don’t make you laugh or feel good or enjoy life like some of your friends, but for some reason God brings them into your life. Is God ruling in your relationships? What is one thing you can do to seek God’s will in your relationships? Does God have the final say on how you spend your time? How much do you spend with Him, how much time is given to others, and how much time is spent just on yourself? We all need time for ourselves, but that should not be the first priority. Do you spend enough quality time with your family? Do you take time to really listen to your family? Notice what they are saying, but also notice what is not being said. Is there a lack of closeness? Time and attention can help produce intimacy in your family. What is one thing you can do to seek God’s will in how you use your time? How about your talents and giftedness? God equipped you to do certain things well. These things usually help the church function (both formally and informally) as God intended through teaching, helping, giving, serving, showing mercy, care giving, comforting, leading, prophesying, encouraging, healing, peacemaking, sharing your faith, and many other areas of ministry. Does God have the final say on how, when, and where you use those gifts? The first concern may be simply that you are willing to use them whenever you can. The how, when, and where will follow as you follow Christ. What is one thing you can do to seek God’s will in using your gifts for Him? I know I’ve just thrown a lot at you to think about. Please don’t get overwhelmed by it. Start with one thing that God brings to your mind and begin to strategize with Him on a game plan. In these and other areas that come to your mind, spend some time thinking and praying and write down some of your thoughts. Then, come up with a next step for each area that you can take action on in the coming week. Make it your habit to align yourself with God’s will in every area of your life. As you pray each day, ask the Lord to show you His will in these areas. “Lord, what is your will for my family? time? Talents? Relationships?”- Seek the kingdom of God first! Number two: Seek God’s Righteousness. How do we seek God’s righteousness? What does that mean? Well, the Bible tells us that nobody on this earth is righteous. In the letter to the Romans 3:9-12 we read the following: “Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." How then do we seek God’s righteousness? Well, as Paul makes very clear in Romans and Galatians, God’s righteousness comes by faith in Him! It comes by believing what He said, which is expressed through obeying what He said. Believing produces a
