INTRO.- ILL.- Pete, at a New Year’s party, turns to his friend, Ken, and asks for a cigarette. “I thought you made a New Year’s resolution to quit smoking," Ken responds.
“I’m in the process of quitting,” replies Pete with a grin. “Right now, I am in the middle of phase one.”
“Phase one?” “Yeah," laughs Pete, “I’ve quit buying.”
ILL.- Top 10 New year resolutions:
1- Spend more time with family and friends.
2- Fit in fitness. (take care of your health - exercise)
3- Tame the bulge. (Over 66 percent of adult Americans are considered overweight)
4- Quit smoking. (On average, smokers try about four times before they quit for good)
5- Enjoy life more. (sounds good)
6- Quit drinking. (no problem for me)
7- Get out of debt. (You won’t do it in a year. It will take some planning and some saying “no” to yourself and others)
8 - Learn something new. (I say, “Why?” I’ve got enough to do without taking on something else)
9 - Help others. (How quaint! That’s thinking of someone else for a change instead of ourselves)
10 - Get organized. (Some might say, “I never have. Why start now?”)
ILL.- I wrote a preacher in the middle of the week and asked him what he was going to preach the next Sunday. He wrote back and said that he didn’t know. He said he had to wait for the mood to strike him. That’s poor planning! I’ve heard it said that if you fail to plan then you plan to fail!
Did you notice that these top 10 resolutions had nothing to do with spiritual improvement? Or that God was not included? That’s the way it is with many people. They don’t include God or Christ in the picture of their lives.
Let me suggest to you that the Lord should be included in every aspect of our lives: marriage, family, children, work, play and pleasure, etc.
ILL.- THE BIG WINNER. Donny Osmond was declared the new champion of "Dancing with Stars," taking home the show’s mirror ball trophy in the season finale of the ABC contest reality program.
Osmond, the former teen pop star of the singing Osmond family, said the show has been a highlight in a career of ups and downs.
"I did it!" Osmond exclaimed. He promptly rushed to the audience and plucked out his wife, Debbie, whom he carried across the stage. BUT THERE IS SOMETHING BIGGER AND BETTER. And that’s being a winner in the eyes of God in the new year!
PROP.- Here’s some good solid advice for making the new year better.
1- The new year - Be careful
2- The new year - Be thoughtful
3- The new year - Be thankful
I. THE NEW YEAR - BE CAREFUL
15Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
Be careful in living. Be careful in the way you live. Be careful. Be wise. Be careful with your time, which is God’s time. Don’t contribute to evil. Be wise. Seek the Lord’s will in all things. Every day and in every way.
ILL.- Steve Roe’s catalogue of self-induced injuries reads like something out of The Spanish Inquisition Handbook: fractured skull, torn rotator cuff, shattered fingers, broken wrists, fractured elbows, torn muscles, sulfuric acid burns, self-stabbings, multiple broken noses and, as of last month, a ruptured tendon in his ankle.
“I didn’t trip or anything,” says the 46-year-old patent attorney from Madison, Wis. “I was just walking down the hall, in a hurry, and I went around the corner and it suddenly felt like somebody hit me in the ankle with a baseball bat.”
Hurry, worry, multitasking, stress — you might call them the four horsemen of the accident prone. Stress is such a huge factor when it comes to accidents, in fact, it was recently linked to an increase in post-9/11 traffic fatalities by researchers at the University of Minnesota.
Brothers and sisters, we’re all vulnerable when it comes to accidents, but obviously, some are more prone than others. HURRY, WORRY, MULTITASKING, AND STRESS lead to accidents, etc.
The same is true in the spiritual realm. If we are not properly focused in life, we will suffer for it. And most of the time, we are far too worldly or materially focused than we are spiritually focused. LET’S BE HONEST ABOUT THIS. We are not as spiritual-minded as we should be. We are far more earthly or worldly-minded.
Colossians 3:1-4 tells us what we should be doing and/or focusing on. 1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
ILL.- Toyota recall - November 25, 2009 - WASHINGTON — Toyota Motor Corp. said it will replace accelerator pedals on about 4 million recalled vehicles in the United States because the pedals can get stuck in the floor mats, another blow to the reputation of the world’s largest automaker.
Perhaps we all need a recall in regard to our lives because we don’t always function properly. Sometimes we even get out of hand and do crazy things. And no matter how good we are, sometimes we mess up. WE NEED TO BE MORE CAREFUL AND USE OUR TIME MORE WISELY FOR CHRIST!
ILL.- Someone said: ON MY WAY to deliver a computer to a customer, I saw a handwritten sign at the entrance of an alley. It read: "Blocked! Do not pass! Difficult to turn back." I continued anyway, only to discover that the alley was indeed blocked by a fallen tree. As predicted, it took a while to turn the truck around. When I finally got back to the entrance, I noticed a second sign. It read: "Told you so!"
Brothers and sisters, God has told us so many times in life but it seems that we don’t listen too well! True or not? True for some anyway.
Some people just keep right on doing the same old things when they know that they are not right. And some day, it will catch up to them and God will do worse than block the road or put up a sign that reads, "told you so!"
Be careful in the way you live. Use your time for the Lord. Seek the Lord in life. Serve the Lord no matter else you do.
II. THE NEW YEAR - BE THOUGHTFUL
18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Be thoughtful of others. That’s always good advice. But here we are to be thoughtful of God’s Spirit who lives within us.
ILL.- From an unknown source comes an article titled, "How To Be Miserable." It says, "Think about yourself. Talk about yourself. Use "I" as often as possible. Mirror yourself continually in the opinion of others. Listen greedily to what people say about you. Expect to be appreciated. Be suspicious. Be jealous and envious. Be sensitive to slights. Never forgive a criticism. Trust nobody but yourself. Insist on consideration and respect. Demand agreement with your own views on everything. Sulk if people are not grateful to you for favors shown them. Never forget a service you have rendered. Shirk your duties if you can. Do as little as possible for others."
Are we ever guilty? At times, we are. We all like to be appreciated for the good things we do, however, we can get caught up in ourselves if we’re not careful. WE CAN BECOME TOO SELF-FOCUSED and forget about others.
ILL.- When Roy DeLamotte was chaplain at Paine College in Georgia, he preached the shortest sermon in the college’s history. However, he had a rather long topic: "What does Christ Answer When We Ask, "Lord, What’s in Religion for Me?"
The complete content of his sermon was in one word: "Nothing." He later explained that the one-word sermon was meant for people brought up on the ’gimme-gimme’ gospel. When asked how long it took him to prepare the message, he said, "Twenty years."
Many people are only interested in what they can get, not what they owe the Lord or not what they can give to others!
I am reminded of several key scriptures which should help to guide our thinking and our lives:
I Cor. 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
Gal. 5:13 “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature[a]; rather, serve one another in love.”
Gal. 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Gal. 6:9-10 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
Matthew 22:36-40"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " ’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
THESE TWO COMMANDMENTS ARE THE GREATEST! If we love God first of all and then love our fellow human beings we won’t go wrong!
18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Instead of being self-centered, we should be Spirit-centered. We should think more of Him than we do about ourselves. Be more spiritual minded than worldly or fleshly minded. If we’ll set on our minds on scripture, prayer, praising, and serving we will have a better new year.
III. THE NEW YEAR - BE THANKFUL
19Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Be thankful in Christ. Living a grateful life will keep you on the straight and narrow. People who are not aware of their blessings are not thankful. Instead, they are always looking for more.
ILL.- Nearly 70 percent questioned in an Associated Press-Ipsos poll said people are ruder than they were 20 or 30 years ago. Peggy Newfield, founder and president of Personal Best, said the generation that came of age in the times-a-changin’ 1960s and 1970s are now parents who don’t stress the importance of manners, such as opening a door for a female. A whopping 93 percent in the AP-Ipsos poll faulted parents for failing to teach their children well.
ARE YOU RUDE? I hope not. Are you quick to be polite in actions and speech? Sometimes I find myself forgetting to say “thank you” to someone for something they did and then later I whip myself for it. SHAME ON ME FOR BEING FORGETFUL AND UNPOLITE.
What about being rude to God? Would we ever? When we fail express proper thanks and gratitude it’s being rude. And to Him we owe our greatest thanks and praise!
ILL.- A five-year-old said grace at family dinner one night. "Dear God, thank you for these pancakes..." When he concluded, his parents asked him why he thanked God for pancakes when they were having chicken. He smiled and said, "I thought I’d see if He was paying attention tonight."
I believe that God pays very good attention to us when we pray and when we don’t. When we praise Him and when we don’t.
Psalms 103:1-3 "Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. “Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases..."
ILL.- Dr. Dale Robbins writes, “I used to think people complained because they had a lot of problems. But I have come to realize that they have problems because they complain. Complaining doesn’t change anything or make situations better. It amplifies frustration, spreads discontent and discord, and can invoke an invitation for the devil to cause havoc with our lives.” Complaining makes us miserable.
Psalm 77:3b says, “I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed.” New King James Version.
Philippians 2:13 “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.”
A positive, thankful person is a great witness in this dark world. We only shine when we are thankful. Our light shines for the Lord when we are thankful, when we live it and express it!
I’d much rather hear someone saying things like, “bless the Lord” or ‘Thank you, Lord” or “Praise the Lord” than complain.
I Thess. 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I’m convinced that a grateful person, a thankful person will live a better life and will be blessed with a better life. DO YOU WANT A BETTER LIFE IN THE NEW YEAR? Be polite to God. Be quick to praise Him and thank Him every little blessing you receive!
CONCLUSION---------------------
ILL.- Someone said: Last year when I called my parents to wish them a happy New Year, my dad answered the phone. "Well, Dad, what’s your New Year’s resolution?" I asked him.
"To make your mother as happy as I can all year," he answered proudly. Then mom got on, and I said, "What’s your resolution, Mom?" "To see that your dad keeps his resolution.”
God would certainly like to see us keep His resolutions. He knows that’s the way to be blessed. Walking with the Lord, doing things His way, is the way to be blessed. Be careful. Be thoughtful. Be thankful.
