How To Start A New Year?
The hours are ticking away and the celebrations around the world have already begun as the world rings in a New Year. It is a night that fills many people with a sense of hope and optimism.
Everyone is asking each other what are their New Year’s resolutions. Some proudly share while others are hesitant to perhaps share what theirs might be. Even the most cynical among us deep down hope for better things in the year ahead, whether or not we officially call them resolutions.
While in the New Testament I do not find any formal New Year’s parties being thrown I do find plenty of verses that God has given me to encourage me in a fresh way as I strive to live more and more for him.
While Scripture may not give me an exact blueprint on ‘how to start a new year’ it does share with me plenty on how to live each and every day, especially in light of desiring a fresh start.
Choosing a popular metaphor that the Apostle Paul uses in various epistles I think if I were to sum up an answer to ‘our question’ How to start a New Year, it would be in one word: Run.
How To Start A New Year? – You need to run.
One section of Scripture that is most fitting for our chosen metaphor and somewhat fitting for our New Year’s theme can be found in the letter to the Philippians.
Paul shares the following encouragement and instruction with the church at Philippi:
Philippians 3:10-14
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
I want to spend just a few moments looking at this Scripture as it both provides hope and practical application as we begin our New Year.
How To Start A New Year?
Step One – Begin Recognizing His Complete Divine Call
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
I want to live 2010 for Jesus Christ, I want my new year to start off right so what does that look like. Paul reminds me in vs. 13 when he says, “for which God has called me heavenward…”.
As I start refreshed and anew in 2010 I need to look again closely on seeing the big and accurate picture of what God’s complete call upon my life looks like. While I do believe God has specific plans and roles for all believers I also do believe that our objective as followers of Christ is not to spend a great deal of time worrying about what those plans and roles are. I do believe spending my days focusing on the overall call that God has placed on all our lives as Christians is the focus of Scripture.
The Apostle Paul sheds some light into what that ‘call of God’ looks like in just a few verses earlier in vs. 10
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
What is the complete call of God over your life? It is to know Christ, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings.
That sounds like a challenging start to a New Year to me! Paul is asking us first and foremost as we run this race marked out for us that must get the big picture of our call as we start out.
We must know Christ more, a lot more! As we know Him more we will experience the power of His resurrection. How do I experience the power of Christ’s ressurection? This phrase is talking about the ‘completion of my redemption’. In other words, Scripture deals with both the death of the outward man and the perseverance of the ‘new’ inward man as a believer. The way in which I experience the power of Christ’s resurrection is through continual growth in the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in my new being. Just as Christ was raised from the dead, I experience that in this life as He lives in me. Continual life transformation each and every day is both testimony and assurance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Finally, Paul shares thatt we are to have fellowship of sharing in his sufferings by becoming like Him in death. Our whole life must be transformed and conformed to His death. While Christ is doing a powerful work inside of me it is displayed through an active faith. I cannot have fellowship with his sufferings if I am doing nothing. If I am doing nothing than where is the new ‘man’ that comes to those who follow Christ?
If I claim to know Christ more that includes knowing the power of His resurrection meaning sanctification is going on in my life and to know Christ more includes a faith that is active living daily for Him.
How To Start A New Year?
Step Two – Run Knowing His Marked Purposes
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.
As we move forward as Christians running this race marked out for us it is important to remember the race has been marked out for us! I have yet to see a race run that does not have a starting point, a finish line, and visible marked boundaries along the way.
Every athlete trains for race day using well known boundaries that will be used in the race. It is not God’s desire that we run the Christian race wandering around aimlessly wondering if we are getting closer to whatever it is we are suppose to be doing.
God has given us as believers clear boundaries and markers for living the Christian life. We are not suppose to run guessing the direction we are to go nor are we suppose to run not knowing where the finish line is as well. Boundaries and markers are provided so that the athlete can run at his top speed. Whenever I start to doubt where I am or where I am going it causes me to slow down. This is not a race to slow down but to run as hard and as fast as God enables us.
Paul knew full well that he had not reached the end of the race. He knew the end of the race is Jesus Christ. While his full redemption is not complete he continues to run. Scripture is given to provide clear running boundaries and markers for us to make it to the finish line. Christ has poured out His Spirit into our lives for intercession, counsel, and empowerment to stay focused and keep running this very important race. Christ has blessed us with the fellowship of believers so we run in such a way that we do not view others as competition but as loving fellowship spurring one another towards the finish line.
I want to start my New Year knowing very clearly the powerful and life giving racing markers and boundaries that God has put in place so that I can stay focused on Him.
How To Start A New Year?
Step Three – Finish Grabbing Hold Of Jesus
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Every race comes with its distractions. The year ahead of me will be filled with distractions, interruptions, and let me be blunt, temptations as well.
The first thing Paul tells me as I go through this race is that I must first: Forget what is behind me!
Did you hear that? Forget what is behind you. The word forget is a literal time word. Do not look back.
Looking back is going to slow you down. Do not look back to see how much ground you have covered and do not look back to see what might be chasing you. Looking back does two things: slows you down and changes your perspective.
It can be easy as a believe to ‘look back’ and think inwardly you know I’ve done enough. I’ve done this long list of things for Jesus, now is the time for me to slow down or as some think, pass the torch to someone else. Paul says none of these things are our goal, we must keep running towards Jesus.
Our redemption is complete when at the end of the race our arms are reaching for Jesus at the finish line. This is how we are to run. While I pray that none of us ‘die’ at the end of 2010, it is my prayer that we all live each day as if tomorrow we meet Christ face to face. No looking back. No more distractions off to the side. Our goal for the Christian life is to reach out and run as hard and as fast as we can with our eyes fixed on Jesus at the finish line.
How To Start A New Year?
May we all right now as 2010 begins may we all RUN recognizing how great is the call of God on each of us, may we RUN each day this year knowing His marked purposes in the days ahead of us, and may we RUN each day this year with a faith that is ran with no other desire except to see Him face-to-face.
Last 5 posts by Wade Lowrey
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