Starting the New Year with a New Attitude

"The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year.  It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose, new feet, a new backbone, new ears and new eyes.... Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective"

GK Chesterton

If you're looking for a helpful bible passage to start the New Year, you might consider this excerpt from Philippians 3:

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.   Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."


Philippians 3:7-8

Paul's claim from this passage both challenges my soul and refreshes me as I start a New Year.   Paul's reference of "gain" speaks to his heritage, his place of honor, perhaps even his very identity - everything that contributed to a sense of his own righteousness before God..   All of which he counted as loss for the sake of knowing Christ.   Knowing Jesus Christ - it's a pursuit so rich and fulfilling that it warrants our setting aside of all counterfeits that might steal our attention away from this holy pursuit.

I'm provoked to look upon my life for vestiges of boasting in my own achievements - the very elements of my life that bring me respectability and honor - the ones that can so easily rob me of my dependence in God.   I pray for the echo of Paul's words to power my life for this New Year.  May I take no confidence in my gifts, abilities, intellect or skills.  May I neither seek, nor rest upon the praise of men..   Instead, may I draw my identity and worth from Jesus Christ - from the fact that I know Him and am known by Him.

"Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own,   Bur one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."


Philippians 3: 13

I'm just starting out, I'm not there yet but I plan on pressing on.    



  

Living Every Moment for God

This blog is inspired by Abraham Kuyper's famous quote delivered at the dedication of the Free University -

"There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: Mine!"

The powerful idea that Jesus Christ lays claim to "every square inch" of our lives is not new but it bears reminding for us who easily forget. It may indeed be an old truth but sometimes we need new ways to think this. Recently, reading and reflecting upon Ephesians 5:15-17 helped me think of God's sovereign claim over our lives in a fresh, new way.

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."

Time - we're called to make the best use of it an not to squander it - because days are evil. This passage reminded me that Christ lays claim, not only to every sphere of our lives but also of every moment of our existence. Every hour we spend sleeping, every minute we're awake, we are spending the currency of time - God's gift to us. Every moment of our lives either at work or at play, we ought to be pursuing God's will for our lives, lest we waste this precious gift.

To paraphrase Kuyper - "there is not a split second in all of human existence over which Christ who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: Mine!"

Quote of the Week

"Be sure that the ins and outs of your individuality are no mystery to Him; and one day they will no longer be a mystery to you."

C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, p. 151

Why Boasting in Your Humiliation is Good for Your Soul

"Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation..."

I've been pondering the seeming irony of this verse for the past couple of months. To the lowly, James instructs to boast in their exaltation but the rich are told to focus on their humiliation. It's counter-intuitive to way this world works but it's the way the invisible, other-worldly kingdom of Christ.

Many of us will, at times, find ourselves either as lowly or rich, depending on the circumstance. The focus of my meditation however, has been on what it means for the rich Christian, to "boast in his humiliation". The idea of humiliation in this context is stark and extreme. Boasting or making much of our humiliation does not come naturally to any of us, even less so for those who are rich or powerful. Yet, it's exactly the prescription James offers for those who are rich in the assembly of the church.

More importantly, how does one boast in his humiliation. Here are four ways that you may find helpful if on occasion and circumstance, you find yourself counted among the rich.

1. Consider our own mortality and finitude -

Reading James 1:10-11 in entirety sheds light on this -

"Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation and the rich in his humiliation because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits"

The rich person ought to boast in his humiliation because he will pass away - his wealth, fame and power will not last. Boasting in your humiliation means reminding yourself and anyone around you) that your wealth and power is finite and will pass with time. It also means that you want live to as to demonstrate that this is true.

2. Live to pursue God, not wealth, power or fame

The admonition assumes that the rich man is pursuing wealth as the aim of his life. But boasting in our humiliation means demonstrating the folly of this approach. The wise rich believer who chooses to do this, will pursue God instead of wealth or self-aggrandizement of any kind.

3. Make plans with deference to God's will

James 4: 13-16 speaks to the mindset that undergirds this kind of plan-making. It is the kind of plan making that not only seeks to discover God's will but also depends on God's power to accomplish the objectives of the plan.

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

The temptation for some of us is to invest trust not in God but in our ability to execute well-crafted plans. When you're in a position of relative wealth or power, you might not be aware of your daily need for God's provision. God calls such presumption - evil boasting. Rather, we ought to make our plans with deference to God's will and with an awareness of our need for His blessing.

4. Remember your true identity.

Boasting in our humiliation means keeping in mind our true identity as sinners saved by the grace and generosity of God. While there isn't a particular verse in James that clearly illustrates this, it is unquestionable that James himself understood this. He chose to address himself as "...servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" even though he was, humanly speaking, the brother of Jesus. In the words of Paul, James chose to count his familial relationship "as loss" for the sake of knowing Christ Jesus. Whether rich or poor, we were spiritual orphans, adopted into God's family and now we enjoy full privileges only as a result of God's kindness.

Quote of the Week

"The fact that earth is not our ultimate home explains why we experience difficulty, sorrow, and rejection in this world. It also explains why some of God’s promises seem unfulfilled, some prayers seem unanswered, and some circumstances seem unfair. This is not the end of the story."

Rick Warren, What On Earth Am I Here For? p. 45

Quote of the Week

"At present we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of the morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the splendours we see. But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumour that it will not always be so. Some day, God willing, we shall get in."

C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory