"I have come that you may have life, and have it to the fullest." ~ Jesus in John 10:10
OK, here it is: another blog entry about the new year setting
goals for improvement. These are a bit
different, though, since my prayer is to be part of an ongoing renewal among
Christians by taking seriously the message and character of Jesus Christ. There are many things that we can add to this
list. And this list is certainly not
intended to be exhaustive. Nor is it intended
to take shots at any particular group of Christians or any individuals. The list is more like a prayer: a personal
prayer for my own growth in Christ that I hope extends beyond my own intentions
and actions and becomes more and more part of what it means to be a community
called by God for His purposes.
1) Listen more to what the Bible and good Christian examples
have said about Jesus than what the media says about Christianity. There are plenty of voices in American media
– Left and Right, Christian and secular – that propose to speak for
Christianity and/or for God. However,
these sources often lead to a misunderstanding of either message or methods of
Jesus, or both. Therefore, I really want
to discover and rediscover the heart of the Good News of Jesus through reading
(and re-reading) Scripture, through prayer, through interaction with sincere men
and women of faith, and through looking at the best Christian writings
throughout the centuries in order to be shaped by the work of the Holy Spirit.
2) Live simpler, appreciate the smaller things more. So much
of the Bible reminds us of the value of what would be deemed “small things” by
most people. Humble beginnings, simple
resources, and consistent day to day devotion are held in much higher regard by
God than the “get all you can while you can, regardless of who it hurts”
mentality that is prevalent in many parts of our culture (even in parts of “Christian
culture”!). I want to live simply not
just so I can have less stress (which is a bonus!), but also so that I can be
free to give to others in the name of Christ, while still meeting the other
financial responsibilities in my life. This
does not have to mean living like a monk or a hermit. But it can mean learning to appreciate extra
time with family and friends, while not drowning in the “newest, latest, and
greatest” of material things.
3) Guard what I say and how I say it. Often we
Christians get into trouble not because we are wrong about certain facts or
even in our theological understandings.
Where we most often get things wrong is in our attitude and in our
delivery. A haughty (proud) mind set and
approach to anything, according to Scripture, is a breeding ground for personal
sin and is something that God opposes.
May we learn that we can be right about “facts” and still be “wrong” if
we do not speak the truth in love.
4) I want my fellowship and worship with other believers to
be the hub of my family’s activity and not just an add-on to my week. There
was a time when much of the community’s calendar revolved around church
life. Sports and even schools would plan
with an eye toward key events in the church calendar. That is no longer the case. And that means that the church is often cast
in the role of competitor for family time.
Consequently, the first thing taken off many family calendars during
busy times is church involvement. This
is the opposite of the way the rhythm of our lives was intended to be, however. The New Testament reminds us that our best
living flows out of times of refreshing and worship with other believers. When we flip that around, the rhythm of our
lives is off, and it is our families and our own personal walk with God that
suffers the most in the long run. May we
say “no” more often to those things which consistently pull us away from
consistent worship and fellowship together, so that when we are able to say “yes”,
we can do so in a way that is empowered to participate as strong witnesses for
Christ.
5) Learn something new!
For many of us, it is easy to
coast and even to stagnate. This mind
set prompts us to merely survive rather than to really live. We also spend so much time and energy
defending what we think we know that we fail to grow into better human
beings. Furthermore, in our coasting
toward stagnation, we find it easier to let others think for us. This year, may we ask hard questions,
especially of ourselves and also of those who purport to speak for us. We can grow and learn something new by
reading, and also by asking questions of others. Who knows?
We may end up building deeper relationships in the process, both with
God and with others.
Christians have always been taught to hold onto everything we
have with a loose grip. Our theology and our
history have taught us that we cannot be assured of tomorrow, but that at the
same time, we do not have to fear tomorrow.
Walking with the risen Christ is a challenge to our own egos and to our
control, but it makes every day an adventure of grace, even when we are just
going about our day to day lives. May
this year be filled with God’s grace, with discovery, and with new heights of
love for God and for others. Happy new
year!
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