New Year, New Man

Gal 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

As we embark on this eve of the New Year, I would like to suggest to you that we need to make some resolutions. We need to resolve to become the creatures that God wants us to become.....as scarey as that may be! It’s hard to leave your comfort zone, even if it’s not really comfortable there anymore.

Sometimes we are just so used to doing things in a certain way, or being the way "we’ve always been" that we don’t want to change. Once a pattern of living has been established, it is hard to change. Once we get into a certain way of doing things, it is nearly impossible for us to even fathom the idea that something could be better for us, or at least we think the way we are accustomed to acting, doing or believing is best for us.

Think for a moment how you would handle someone coming up to you right now and state that you have to leave your home, job and associates immediately and you’re not given any time to say goodbye. Would you be eager to leave? Would you embrace the overture with enthusiasm and not think about what you’re being asked to do? Probably not. Even though you may not be completely happy with your circumstances, you are probably content with the familiarity of them.....you’re comfortable with it!

Look at 2 COR 5:17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Some of us aren’t "comfortable" being a "new creation".....we kinda like our "old creation".....well, some parts of it, anyway! You ever heard someone that always complains about their job? Been there 6 yrs, complained all the time! Hey, get a new job! It won’t change until you DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

How about husbands/wives that are always griping about each other and to each other? Some couples have been together for a very long time, complaining the entire marriage! And they really don’t think it’s that bad or elase they would DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

How about your location.....where you live. Texans are pretty bad to complain about the weather, aren’t we? We even get to complaining about our town, our county....sometimes even the great State of Texas (blasphemy!) Where you live is not going to change unless you DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Maybe there is some habit you have that you don’t like. You may say "boy, I sure wish I could quit doing that" but it will not change until you DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! And then there are those that just LIKE to complain, but they really don’t want any changes in their lives.

They would never think of leaving their job, cause when it comes down to it, they really like it. They wouldn’t leave their spouse because, after all, they really do love them! And move away from Texas???? I think not!!! The point is that we often "wish things could be better", but we are not really willing to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

The challenge for each of us here this day is be reminded that when we discover that something is not in our best interest, we must move forward in our lives and follow God’s plan to get us in the right place. God continues to show us that change is a natural part of human existence. It is only when we embrace the opportunities for change that are presented to us on a daily basis that we can find true happiness and peace. Our yesterdays are gone. Our present moments are being defined as we make decisions that will determine what our futures will become. In other words, we must DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!