A New Beginning

So, it’s the second day of January—did you make New Year’s Resolutions? Have you already screwed them up?

I don’t know why we impose such stringent restrictions on “starting over”. Do you think God ever told a sinner coming to him, “wait until January 1, or at least until in the morning- the beginning of a new day”. We see the absurdity in that so we should be able to see it in our setting limitations for change. The best time to change something you want to change is now.

This brings the first voice that we need to face—the “I can’t” voice. This one is probably the most prevalent in my own head. I hear it more than I want to admit—worse yet, I LISTEN to it more than I want to admit.

Our first Bible passage is going to be from Philippians, and many of you can already hear, “I can do all things” going through your head; and yes, Philippians 4:13 tells us just that. I want to back up a few verses and look at verses 10-12 and then on to verse 14.

The KJV says   But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

But I love the way the Message Bible phrases it:

      I’m glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess—happy that you’re again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty.

There is so much in these verses. First of all, notice that he is telling the Philippians thanks for thinking of me. Thanks for praying for me. This is our sign; we need to be constantly lifting each other up. 

Then Paul goes on to say that he has learned to be content. This has been a big deal for me this past year. Our life changed drastically when my husband decided to start his own business. Our surety of four paychecks a month was no longer a reality. We now had two, which basically cut our guaranteed pay in half. I was scared to death and in the months that were lean in work for him, I would get angry. I was angry because God wasn’t sending work, I was angry that we couldn’t go out every Friday night and I was angry that I couldn’t go spend money at the mall just because I had a bad day. That’s when this verse really hit me. See, there has never been a time when a bill went unpaid or that we were in any danger of losing our home, a car, or starving to death. God said, “Be content”. I am so content now that my latest thing to be angry about is how much money I have wasted on “stuff”. My January home project is cleaning out the attic; it has got to be a sin to have this much “stuff”.

Of course we get to Verse 13: King James says:

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

In the Message Bible, it says: Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.

There it is, the one we all know, focus on that one for just a minute. But then, let’s look at verse 14

I don’t mean that your help didn’t mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles.

Did you see what Paul did there? He put the importance of your friends in Christ up there too. Yes, I can accomplish what I need to accomplish, but it is important that you pray for me as I do it. Likewise, Paul mentioned many times that he prayed for his followers.

Have you ever “felt” someone praying for you? I feel it most when I have that unnatural peace I feel in a situation where I should be pulling my hair out. It is not only a good thing for us to encourage each other. It is what we are supposed to do. Another passage that tells us this is Hebrews 10:25. It says :

 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

As times get tougher, it is going to get harder to stay true to Christ and our beliefs. We need our friends to hold us accountable.

This is going to be the first thing that may ruffle some feathers. I see lots of post of fb about this, there is one that currently says, I may not go to church every Sunday…. But I pray to GOD every day!!!!!!

Do you ever really look at that? Can you read that as “I’m too busy to give God a couple hours of my undivided attention but I will ask Him to do what I want”?  Really?  I feel this is getting long, so I won’t share the story – let’s just say that I did this myself. I wasn’t going to church but was asking God to work a very big miracle for a friend. He convicted me on this so I’m just passing it on. I was using the excuse that I wasn’t home to go to my home church. God told us not to forsake the assembling of HIS people, not MY people. I found us a church.

So after all of this, the points I want you to take with you this week.

• You don’t have to wait to start something over—Right now is fine.
• You can do whatever you set your mind to, but learn to be happy with where you are first. If you can’t be happy where you are, you are going to be miserable until you get to where you want to be. Get “NOW” in order first, (and truth be told, if you think another point in your life is what it is going to take to make you happy, you will probably be disappointed when you get there).
• It is vitally important that we as Christians encourage each other and pray for one another, and keep one another accountable.
• Don’t diminish the importance of fellowship and worship with other believers.
• I leave you with a video from Matthew West. Remember, God’s time is eternal—any day, any hour, or any second can be Day One.