Tuesday 1 January 2013

Leaning more on Christ in 2013 than on myself!

Well, 2013 is now a reality, the next 365 days lay before me only as God allows it. Yet, I find myself strangely driven to seek Him more this year, to be more consistent in my walk with God, to be more faithful to my wife, my children, my friends and the church I have the huge joy to pastor. I want to be a better pastor this year, to be a better example, to preach better, to study more deeply, to respond quicker to emails and phone calls, to learn more of technology and how to apply it to my everyday life. I really want to disciple others better, to be more accessible to my family and others, to count others more significant than myself. I want to confess my sin more, be more open and honest with others and more accepting of criticism and suggestions. I want to give more, serve more and pray more. I deeply desire to care more about others, to listen more and talk less, to be more creative and a better steward of God's creation and my talents. I just want to be better this year!

All of the above is good, even noble, but fatally flawed, if for one second I think I can accomplish these things on my own, or if I am driven to accomplish them as a means to garner more favour with God...but ultimately these ideals are flawed because they totally lack the presence of Christ or rest on Him.

My prayer, my need for 2013 is to lean more on Christ! To look to Him, think on Him, study Him, praise Him, remember Him and run to Him! Paul told the Philippians, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." Phil. 2:12-13

Oh, I need to strive to be holy, to, "work out my own salvation with fear and trembling" but I do so with the confidence and dependence that is it God... "who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." How, or why? Because of Jesus Christ...which is what Philippians 1:6 and chapter 2:9-11 is all about...it is why Paul will say in chapter 4, "I can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens me." But in the context we need to realize, I need to realize this is a promise surrounded by trials, set-backs, failures, temptations, adversity and anything else negative we want to imagine...it also covers, successes, callings, great feats of strength and creativity, victories over sin and Satan, or anything positive I can imagine.

Leaning on Christ, thinking about what Christ has done for me and to me, realizing, trusting and acting upon the truths that I am forgiven, restored and declared righteous before God is amazingly freeing...guilt, shame, and captivity are gone in Christ. The hymn writer is correct... "My Sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought, my Sin, not in part but the whole. Is NAILED to the cross and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Oh my soul!"

Paul challenges the Romans to be holy and transformed, to sacrifice their lives and their minds, not based on DUTY but on the, "mercies of God!" Romans 12:1-2...So this year my desire is to lean on the finished work of Christ more...to think, read, pray and spend time with Jesus to be amazed by the power of the gospel in my life! To know, that because of Christ's perfection I can overcome sin, I can be more like Christ this year than last...but I can rest...my attempts will be meet with failure at times, and in this I can hope and run to the One who has already lived perfectly for me...I will also know the joy of victory over sin, temptation and certain struggles...in these times I can rejoice that it was the perfection of Christ that makes it possible and I know more joy is there for me to experience yet.

So, please pray for me and I will in the strength of God alone because of Jesus through the Holy Spirit pray for you, that we will lean on the ever-lasting arms of Jesus! That we will work hard at leaning, that we will strive to trust in Christ more and not ourselves and that in that work we will see that our, "labour is NOT in vain in the Lord." May 2013 as God provides it to us be the year we lean more on Christ and work really hard at doing it!