December 31 - Revelation 21:2

And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem,

coming down out of heaven from God,

prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Revelation 21:2

 

Jesus' final promise of "new" is on the final pages of scripture. In this glorious passage, as he is pointing toward the eternal blessings of a New Jerusalem, Jesus promises, "5 Behold, I am making all things new."

 

One of my favorite quotes of all time bears the timeless wisdom of C. S. Lewis. He says, "If you read history you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. ... Aim at heaven and you will get earth "thrown in." Aim at earth and you will get niether."

 

That's a good and final suggestions for a New Year's resolution for 2011 -- Aim at heaven. Why? Because if you have an absolute confidence in the promise of heaven, the things of this earth, can never sink you. This coming year will have it's share of worldly trials, "but take heart!" said Jesus, "I have overcome the world."

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who needs to sign up

for archery lessons

(I want to aim better)

December 30 - Acts 2:13

But others sneered and said,

"They are filled with new wine."

Acts 2:13

 

The first time that "new" is mentioned in the book of Acts comes on Pentecost day. The Holy Spirit filled -- transformed -- the disciples. And the world sneered.

 

Here are two simple New Year's resolutions:

• Pray that you may be filled with the Holy Spirit! How? Turn away from sin (confession). Turn toward God (obedience). Pray for his indwelling. And then don't fight it! Indeed, yield your whole life to the Spirit's movement and direction.
• Quit caring what the world says. That was part two of the Pentecost power that the disciples discovered. Before the breathe of the Spirit, they were hiding. Jesus had just been killed, they were afraid they might be next, therefore, they hid. But when the Spirit came, they quit worrying about what the world might say or do. The world called them drunk. The world might call us overzealous. Who cares?! What if our New Year's Resolution was to have an audience of One?!

So ... where to start? What's your sticking point in the progression of discovering the Spirit's power?

1. Sins to be confessed?
2. Obeying God's commands and promptings?
3. Actually, literally, asking to be filled?
4. Yielding your whole life to God's leading -- rather than holding something back and fighting it.
5. Going all in ... and not caring what the world might say, think, or do?!

In Christ's Love,

a guy who's power-hungry!

December 29 - John 13:34

I give you a new commandment,

that you love one another.

Just as I have loved you,

you also should love one another.

John 13:34

 

The first time  that "new" is mentioned in the Gospel of John is in terms of a New Commandment:Love One Another!

 

How many people do you know who think of Christianity as legalistic? Pharisees -- including you and me from time to time -- can easily turn religion into legalism. But Jesus proclaimed something wonderful and new! And it's the overwhelming principal behind all of the laws.

 

Think of the ten chief commands declared on Sinai. If we love one another, are we going to be stealing from them? bearing false witness against them? abusing or murdering them? No! And only in the most twisted sense would anyone ever pretend that loving one another justifies adultery.

 

Rather, if we simply and consistently loved, God's law would never be a burden ... just a reminder of the life and blessing which God wants to bestow on each of our lives.

 

That's pretty basic, right?

 

So let's put it into action. Who's the person you have most trouble loving? Loving the unlovable might be a powerful New Year's resolution. Why? Because if we can learn to love our public enemy number one, then maybe that will extend to loving others too and transforming US one relationship at a time.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to be a love machine

(but NOT in terms

of the crass old image from the 70s;

rather, looking more like Mother Theresa

whom even a sex-addicted world

acknowledged as a love machine) 

December 28 - Mark 1:27

They were all amazed,

and they kept on asking one another,

"What is this? A new teaching—with authority!

He commands even the unclean spirits,

and they obey him."

Mark 1:27

 

One of them more frequent words associated with Jesus' ministry was "new," and in the Gospel of Mark, the first "new thing" was his new teachings.

 

Jesus has so many new and wonderful teachings that even a few non-Christian religions call him a prophet. But ... don't mistake Jesus' main contribution to be adding a little more wisdom to the world. The most important words in this passage are "with authority."

 

In fact in the verses surrounding Mark 1:27, Jesus wasn't really teaching at all. He was simply saying to the evil spirits, "25 Be silent and come out." As I said, that's not a teaching. It's a command. In other words, what was new about Jesus was not the words ... but the power!

 

So what's new about this for your new year. Here's an idea for a resolution: Don't look for just the wisdom and teachings from the scripture. Seek to see God and faith more clearly as a source for real power! Try speaking to your doubts and objections, saying, "be silent and come out." And see if you might discover more hope, joy, peace, and power, by embracing truth.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants

to be amazed

December 27 - Matthew 9:17

Neither is new wine put into old wineskins;

otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled,

and the skins are destroyed;

but new wine is put into fresh wineskins,

and so both are preserved.

Matthew 9:17

 

When wine is first made, it is grape juice. Then with the passing of time, the grape juice spoils -- ferments is a nicer word for this. And with fermentation comes expansion. And if you put new wine (unexpanded grape juice) into an (old) wineskin that has already been stretched, it has no more capacity to stetch. Thus, the skins will burst. Therefore, new wine is put in new wine skins so that both can expand.

 

We are about to begin a new year. And the analogy here to life is obvious: If you have anything you really want to work on or change, you must change a lot of old habits that surround the area of life you want to work on.

 

If you're like me, there are plenty of problem areas that you want fixed, but how many of us aren't quite willing to change the habits that make it a problem. We need a new wineskin -- a new way and a new pattern in life.

 

Here's a new pattern that might just give you a new strength to meet many of these challenges: Make 2011 - The Year of the Bible. Plugging into God's Word is like plugging into a power outlet. The better we know him, the more power flows through our lives -- including the power to change! Therefore, praying about joining our Bible in a Year group and let God's Word shape each day in a richer way. Details below.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who acted too much like new wine

over Christmas -- I fermented and expanded

and my old wineskins (jeans) don't fit as well

(I guess I need some new habits this year!)