Very likely, by the time you read this, it will be a new
year; 2012. So, let me start off by conforming to centuries of tradition and
wish you a happy, prosperous, and healthy New Year.
Every year, people make New Year’s resolutions… to stop
smoking, get more education, lose weight… as many, and as varied resolutions as
there are people (times a WHOLE bunch). Often, the resolutions are the reiteration
of resolutions from past years that usually didn’t last more than a couple of
weeks. Perhaps we need to look at resolutions differently.
Let’s change our vocabulary. Change ‘resolution’ to ‘renewal’.
Resolutions depend on our
resolve… which is notoriously weak, completely dependent on our will, and often weakened by stressful
circumstances. How many times have we resolved to start a new habit (or stop an
old one), only to completely abandon the resolution’s good intentions at the
slightest bump in the road?
Renewal is a different story altogether. Think about all the
successful renewals in your life. You might renew a magazine subscription, auto
insurance, a commitment to charitable giving, or health insurance. In each
case, you renew a commitment and someone else renews their commitment to you…
on an on-going, continuous, and mutually beneficial basis.
As I was thinking and writing about this, I received a Jews for
Jesus newsletter that completed my musings in a far better way than I had
originally planned. I have renewed my support of the Jews for Jesus ministry
year after year and they bless me through their newsletter with their ministry
news, their zeal, their evangelical fire, and their incredible faith in God and
Jesus Christ as our sovereign Lord. In Remember to Renew, the cover article of the Jews for Jesus
January 2012 newsletter, Executive Director David Brickner seemed to finish my
thoughts about renewal (quite wonderfully, in fact). He also makes a profound
comment about struggles and disappointments that I found to be just what I
needed.
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Renewal is not only a matter of the mind, but also of the
heart. We remember the past because it builds our faith to recall what God has
done. We need that faith in order to be transformed and renewed. Renewal is not
to occur only once a year with a New Year’s resolution or two. It is a daily
response to God as He calls us to present ourselves as living sacrifices as in
Romans 12.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12: 1-2
The problem with living sacrifices is that they tend to
wriggle off the altar! We need to bind ourselves to that altar with cords of
love and trust in the One who sacrificed Himself for us. We need God’s renewal
in our lives to stir up fresh dedication, new commitment, and the kind of faith
that enables us to see a future that is brighter than our past. I want that
renewal. I want to remain on that altar for Jesus. That is my commitment before
the Lord…
Maybe this past year has held struggles and disappointments.
Perhaps there are physical problems for which there is no relief in sight. Do
not lose heart, but remember that even though we are perishing outwardly,
inside we are being renewed day by day. And our light momentary affliction is
working a far heavier weight of glory that will last forever and ever (see
Corinthians 4:16-17).
As we enter 2012, I invite you, dear friends, to remember
and renew your relationship with the Lord Jesus.
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To David Brickner’s words, I say: “AMEN!” And if you don’t yet have a relationship with Jesus, I invite you to accept the gift of salvation, joy, and peace that Jesus freely offers to every person. That’s EVERY person. That includes you… even if you don’t believe. See me on our campus on Sunday, or contact me if you need to know more.
And, once again: Happy New Year! It’s my prayer that 2012 be the year you begin
a lifelong renewal in the Lord!
Your brother in Christ,
Dave
FYI: Jews for Jesus exists to make the Messiahship of Jesus
an unavoidable issue to Jewish people worldwide.
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