Dear Fellow Children of God,
Did you make resolutions for 2013? Have you kept them? Over the years I have found that it is even easier
to break my New Year’s resolutions than it is to make them. I believe there is a reason for this truth. Often we make promises to ourselves in areas
of our life where we struggle. Yes we
can resolve to do better. But, often
past patterns and weakness take over, and for many of us it does not take long
to break the resolutions we made about new ways we intend to live beginning
January 1.
I made resolutions this year. But, actually the resolutions I made are a
continuation of personal goals I set in the middle of last October. These goals were made specifically to help me
do a better job living as a child of God, to help me do a better job as a husband
and father, and to help me do a better job as pastor of St. John. Why did I make the same resolutions, or set
the same goals as last October? First,
the areas I hope to improve are important.
I do not want to be satisfied with less than full effort in living as a
child of God, or in living as a husband and parent, or in serving as pastor of
St. John.
But, secondly, there is another reason I made the same
resolutions as the goals I set last October.
I still have room to grow in
these areas and need to work on them.
No, I haven’t always been successful in doing what I planned to do. Yes, there have been instances of
failure. But that doesn’t mean that
because I failed once or more times I am going to give up. I want to persevere in faithful living as a
child of God.
So,
maybe my goal for the New Year is perseverance. In Hebrews 12:1-2, God tells us, “1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a
great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin
that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance
the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and
perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross,
scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” It takes
character and faith to continue seeking to do the will of God, especially if we
have failed. But, persevering is a godly
virtue that I hear little about these days.
(You might also want to look at what God says about perseverance in
Romans 5:3-5, 2 Thessalonians 1:4, James 1:3-4, and 2 Peter 1:3-8.) Perseverance is a mark of a child of God who
is living a new life in Jesus.
The Hebrews verse gives us help in this life of
perseverance. God tells us, 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author
and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross,
scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” When we fix our eyes on Jesus we can continue
even after failure, because we know He endured the cross for us and forgives
us. So, if I slip up, that is not the
end. I can repent of my failure and live
in the forgiveness God gives through the cross.
Fixing my eyes on Jesus helps me persevere!
And, when we fix our
eyes on Jesus we can continue even after failure, because we see the perseverance,
and sacrifice, and love Jesus has for us.
If Jesus can continue to love us even after we fail, we can continue to
live for Him even in our struggles.
Have you kept your
resolutions? If your resolutions were
worth making as a child of God, they are worth continuing to work toward, even
if you haven’t been successful so far. “Therefore, . . . let us throw off everything that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance
the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and
perfecter of our faith,
A Child of God, Working to Persevere in Living for Jesus,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Here is a
picture from our Rockey Family Christmas celebration this year. The first time we could all get together was
January 1.
****
ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS
FROM THE PASTOR’ - I am sending these e-mail messages, hopefully
weekly, to all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I have. (I am
always adding new names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving
this e-mail for the first time.) However, if you don’t want to receive
this e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list
for this message. . . Or, if you know someone who would like to receive one
of these e-mails, please send me their
e-mail address.
****
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