Commitments For A New Year Series

The NEW YEAR is a time when many of us are motivated to take a harder look at ourselves. We often take an inventory of ourselves and consider what needs to be changed for the next 12 months.

For some reason during the month of January we have the strongest resolve to makes changes than we will usually have all year long.

January comes from the Roman god ‘Janus’ who was the ‘gate god’. An image of Janus was placed at the entrance gate of each city in the Roman Empire. He was a god with two faces which allowed him to see in two directions at the same time. That is a good definition of how most of us are during this month of the year.

I assume that most everyone here has at least considered ‘changes’ or ‘life adjustments’ or RESOLUTIONS that you might make this year.

Health clubs are supposedly going to much more crowded during these next few weeks. SUBWAY: Lines will be clear back to the door.

As I grow older in my adult years it reminds me that I one less year left in my life.

TIME has gone from MARCHING ON to jogging to new a full run.

LIFE CLOCK: Imput vital information such as present age, male or female, life habits(do you smoke, drink, have high stress, exercise or lack of) Hit the button and it starts of count down the rest of your life day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute.

At the average death rate I would guess that I would have about 12,000 days left in my life: About 6 more Presidential elections and Olympics, 30 or so more Superbowls, 60 or so more seasons of the Biggest Loser, about 50,000 more church services and maybe a dozen or so grandchildren and some great grandchildren..

Think this morning:

1. How did you do this past year?

Not how much money did you make or lose?

How much success have you had at school or at your job?

2. How have your grown in your relationship with God?

To what percent has His will been lived out in your life? 75% 80% 50%

What went wrong this year? What needs to be changed? Should you?

a) Eat less and exercise more?

b) Spend less and save more?

c) Read more(especially God’s Word) and watch TV less?

d) Pray more and worry less?

What needs to happen to make sure my commitments see the light of February 1st?

I want us to take a Spiritual inventory this morning out of the book of Philippians. Turn with me to chapter 3 and start with verse 7

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.(3:7-11)

We live in a day where so many people are in a hurry to go nowhere that will matter when this life is over and for that matter does not really have value on this side of death.

Paul would look at so much of what fills our lives and count it as LOSS or even as RUBBISH/GARBAGE.

Back in 1967 there was a prediction by the experts that by 1985 technology would be so advanced that the average American would work only 22 hours a week and only have 25 weeks of vacation each year. The biggest problem would be what to do with all the free time. There is no free time but only freed up time. Question is how God wants it used.

The irony is that now 27 years past 1985 people are working multiple jobs and/or both husbands and wives are working and people will always tell you how busy or worn out they are with life. For those who don’t have an ‘official’ second job they have made a job out of their TV watching or kids sports or golf game or shopping or web surfing.

The devil doesn’t care what it is but only what it replaces.

People have less and less time for God, for church or for God’s Word and Prayer

The MAYAN CALENDAR says you just celebrated your last Christmas. This world will end by December 21 this year. I don’t go in for all that BUT what if they were right.