2022-01-01
1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV
In 1643, the Houses of Parliament ended the existing system of government in the Church of England, and an assembly of people was called to Westminster Abbey to rebuild the English church. One of the first questions asked in the documents that came out of that assembly was ‘What is the chief end of man?’ In other words, ‘What’s our purpose?’ And the answer: ‘To glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.’ It’s such a simple and, at the same time, such a powerful question and answer. It’s as true today as it was centuries ago. And it’s something we should set as the blueprint for our lives this coming year. Glorify God. Obey God. Enjoy God.
When we know our lives are glorifying God, we enjoy His presence, but when we know they aren’t, we tend to avoid Him. And that’s bad, because without God’s presence in our life, our chance of living successfully in the things that really matter and in God’s eyes isn’t good.
As we look back on last year, there might be things we regret because we know that God wasn’t glorified in them. But God’s giving us a new year, a new opportunity to make changes and do things differently. We might find it helpful to make New Year’s resolutions to help us stay focused on our goals, but we need to base every one of them on this verse from the Bible: ‘Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.’ If we make that our foundation and stick to it, we’ll stay on the right path, and we’ll have the peace and joy of knowing our lives are pleasing to God.
Rom 13:12-14:19; John 1:1-14
2021-12-31
Joel 2:29 NLT
God spoke through the prophet Joel, saying, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants – men and women alike’ (v.28-29 NLT).
God has a vision for each of us to fulfil. And sometimes our vision won’t make sense because we don’t feel qualified. In the musical Man of La Mancha, there’s a scene where Don Quixote and his servant stand gazing at a dilapidated inn. When Don Quixote describes his vision of turrets and magnificent gates, his servant tries hard to see the same picture, but all he can see are ruins. And when he describes what he sees, Don Quixote says, ‘Stop! I will not allow your facts to interfere with my vision!’
When God gives us a vision, there’ll always be people who are ready to try and convince us that it can’t be done, or that we can’t do it, which can confirm our deepest fears about our abilities. But if we ignore our critics and rise above our fears, God will enable us to fulfil the vision He’s given.
It’s important to keep in mind that although a vision may come in an instant, it can take a lifetime to fulfil. Habakkuk wrote, ‘It is not yet time for the message to come true, but that time is coming soon; the message will come true. It may seem like a long time, but be patient and wait for it, because it will surely come’ (Habakkuk 2:3 NCV). God keeps His promises, so if He’s given you a vision for your life, believe in it, ‘because it will surely come.’
Phil 3:8-14; 2 Cor 5:14-21; Ps 77:11-20; Prov 9:10-12
2021-12-30
Genesis 3:9 NLT
When we don’t feel good about ourselves, we might use things like work, food, relationships, and money to build a wall and keep people from getting too close. Another hiding tactic we might use is to keep the focus off ourselves and direct it on to other people by asking things like, ‘How come she passed the exam and I didn’t?’ Or, ‘Why did he get that job and not me?’ – the implication being that the other person didn’t deserve their achievement and that we’re looking for things to criticise about them so we feel better about ourselves.
But even worse than pretending with people is pretending with God. When God asked Adam, ‘Where are you?’ He already knew the answer. But He asked anyway, because He wanted Adam to acknowledge where he was and what he had become. Eric Hoffer said, ‘We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves.’ Until we face the truth about ourselves, we’ll find it hard to talk to God. We’ll feel lonely and alienated, and we’ll struggle to let people get close to us in case they see who we ‘really are’.But God already knows everything about us – every emotion, every word and every thought – and He doesn’t reject us.
So let’s make this our prayer today: ‘Father, I know You love me. Nothing can change that or steal its joy except my own doubts and my refusal to believe it. You loved me before I was born, You created me according to Your plan, You redeemed me and gave me a special purpose in the world, and You’re working day by day to make me into a person who pleases You’ (see Philippians 2:13). The good news is…we don’t have to hide from God.
1 Cor 15-16; Matt 3:1-10; Ps 116; Prov 31:30-31
2021-12-29
Deuteronomy 30:6 NIV
Hebrew baby boys went through the rite of circumcision. It signified that they were in a covenant relationship with God in which He promised to protect, guide, and bless them. And in the New Testament, Paul ‘spiritualises’ this rite. ‘True circumcision…is a change of heart produced by [God’s] Spirit’ (Romans 2:29 NLT). That change of heart calls for cutting off anything that encourages and produces in us wrong impulses and actions.
Jesus said, ‘Those whose hearts are pure…will see God’ (Matthew 5:8 NLT). When our hearts are pure, we’ll be able to see God where others can’t and hear Him when others don’t. The word pure could be translated ‘without contamination’. It’s the difference between a clear stream and a polluted one. It means our self-centred thinking is abandoned and our earthly nature is crucified.
The difference between forgiveness and cleansing is like the difference between cutting off a weed at the ground and pulling it up by its roots. Forgiveness deals with the ‘result’ of sin – that’s easy to identify. But cleansing deals with the ’cause’ of sin – that’s not so easy to identify because it deals with our natural traits and character flaws. Forgiveness comes by confession, but cleansing comes by walking in the light: ‘If we walk in the light, as he is in the light…the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin’ (1 John 1:7 NIV).
Do you keep asking God to forgive the same sins over and over? That’s because you need to experience true cleansing. Your heart needs to be changed. And that’s a job for the Holy Spirit.
1 Cor 12-14; Matt 2:16-23; Ps 139:13-24; Prov 31:28-29
2021-12-28
1 Corinthians 6:12 MSG
Paul said, ‘Just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean…it’s spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I’d be a slave to my whims.’ If we’re serious about spiritual growth, we need to look for opportunities to say no to our wants in small areas. Then one day we’ll be able to say no when it really counts. Daniel started by saying no to eating the king’s food, and later was able to say no to bowing to the king’s idols.
We need to focus in on the undisciplined areas of our lives; the ones we keep excusing, rationalising, and putting off dealing with. Paul measured his actions by this standard: ‘Is it beneficial? Does it have the potential to control me?’ (see 1 Corinthians 6:12). We have a ‘right’ to eat a tub of ice cream every night. It’s permissible – but it’s not ‘beneficial’, especially if we want to try to eat more healthily. We have a ‘right’ to spend our money as we please, but bad management of our money and buying things we can’t really afford leads to problems. We have a ‘right’ to look at whatever we want on TV or the internet, but exposure to wrong influences will inevitably weaken our characters, steal our self-respect, and trap us.
Our character is the sum total of the choices we make each day. Every single decision matters and influences our character in some way, so let’s try to make good choices. So if you want to start replacing bad habits with good ones, you should ask God for help and guidance – but the only person who can make it happen is you.
1 Cor 10-11; Matt 2:9-15; Ps 139:1-12; Prov 31:25-27
2021-12-27
Isaiah 43:25 NLT
God says in His Word: ‘I – yes, I alone – will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of the again. Let us review the situation together, and you can present your case to prove your innocence’ (v.25-26 NLT). Today, if you’re condemning yourself because you think your sins are too big to deserve God’s grace, go back and reread those Scriptures carefully. God said He would forgive our sins for His own sake. What we need to do is ‘present [our] case to prove [our] innocence.’ Why do we have such a hard time accepting God’s forgiveness? Here are some possible answers:
1) Because in some cases we feel like we’re reaping what we have sown.
2) Because we have condemned someone else for doing the very thing we ourselves did.
3) Because we think God likes to keep us twisting in the wind for a while so we will think twice before committing the same sin again.
4) Because growing up, when we disobeyed our parents, they took away certain privileges until we had proven ourselves.
5) Because we think we have to be ‘worthy’ of God’s mercy. But when we refuse to forgive ourselves, we’re implying that our mistakes are beyond the scope of God’s grace. And that’s a bigger sin – pride!
And here’s another thought. When we always have ‘issues’ with other people, it may be that we’re looking for someone to offend us, so we can point to how bad the other person is and feel better about ourselves. When we adopt a humble attitude and work on forgiving ourselves because we know God has forgiven us, it’ll be much easier to forgive other people’s mistakes.
1 Cor 7-9; Matt 2:1-8; Ps 97; Prov 31:22-24
