New Year resolutions
This is the time of the year when the air is abuzz with New Year resolutions. A closer scrutiny of the NY resolutions would reveal that they are of 2 kinds. The NEGATIVELY positively ones’ and the POSITIVELY positive ones’! While the former NYRs’ would begin with something like this… I WILL NOT indulge in… the latter would sound like… From now on, I WILL DO GOOD…. While both types’ of resolutions are good in themselves, I would recommend an ideal blend of the two (read till the last, remember in God’s realm the best is always reserved for the last –John 2:10)!
At this stage, before taking even a proverbial step forward let me turn your attention to a Biblical verse which best sums up the entire God-man relationship…the way it was designed to be right from the very beginning “So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ’Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty” (Zech 4:6).
Firstly, the historical background to this verse. At a time leadership of the Nation of Israel and the Nation of Israel as a whole were going through a period of great discouragement (Ezra 4-6) with seemingly mountain-like obstacles hindering their precious temple reconstruction project, come these reassuring, reenergizing words of the Lord spoken through Zechariah the Prophet, which doubtless would have reinvigorated their sunken spirits. History bears witness to the fact that these words had the desired effect on the demoralized lot, for the temple reconstruction project which had hit some roadblocks till then was not only re-started with redoubled vigor but also completed in due time with joyous singing (Ezra 6:15)!
Jewish history aside…was not man made to depend on the Almighty God at all times? Consider a few verses beginning with the Book of Genesis (we need to get “back to basics” to understand some truths) and the truth would become clear as a crystal.
“And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food…” – Genesis 2:9
And now examine this verse in the light of supplication portion of the prayer (that has come to be hallowed as the Lord’s Prayer) which Christ our Lord taught His disciples
“Give us day by day our daily bread.” –Luke 11:3 (KJV)
Omnipotent God could have easily created man (without stomach) or for that matter even the entire Botanical and the Zoological kingdom without need for food but in His sovereign wisdom, God has so fashioned His creation that it cannot survive for long without food, which He (Jehovah Jireh-God the provider- in Hebrew language) so graciously provides. Now if we were to pose a question at this stage …”Which is greater, food which gives strength to man or MIGHTY GOD WHO ACTUALLY CREATES AND MAKES IT AVAILABLE”…the answer would be obvious!
Also now, let us focus at yet another key verse from the Book of Genesis
“And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." –Genesis 2:16-17
and we would see the dos’ and the DON’T spelled out to our great grandparents in oh-so-clear terms. By abstaining from the forbidden fruit, what would Adam and Eve demonstrate? Their humble dependence on their Creator’s power to say NO to whatever urges that would come to partake of the forbidden. Sadly our first parents were outwitted by a clever adversary who engaged them in a conversation in such a crafty way that it BROUGHT THEM OUT OF REALM OF GOD-DEPENDANCE. Throughout the temptation scene as it unfolds in Genesis 3:1-7, we see them using their OWN INTELLECT (read their own strength) in trying to ward off the temptation with tragic effect.
While first Adam fell tragically, what about FINAL ADAM our Lord (Romans 5:12-21…Boy, the first temptation he faced was also FOOD-RELATED)? After 40 days of fasting in the wilderness (Matt 4:1-4), with mortal flesh craving for a morsel of food, when Satan tempted Him, he used GOD’S WORD (Deuteronomy 8:3) to counter Satan and not his own intellect. Permit me to shout OUT A TRUTH from roof tops nay MOUNTAINTOPS at this stage, which those with Tiger Wood’s like woes’ would do well to pay heed “GREATER ISSUE THAN THE TEMPTATION ITSELF, IS THE ISSUE OF WHETHER YOU ARE FACING IT WITH YOUR OWN FALLIBLE STRENGTH OR WITH THE INEXHAUSTIBLE STRENTH OF THE ALMIGHTY GOD”! Our crafty foe whose subtle moves, we need to be aware of (2 Cor 2:11) would want us to face the temptations in our own strength, because it inevitably guarantees a fall! What would he not do to maneuver the entire temptation process in such a way that we step out of our God-dependence “solid ground” into a “quicksand” of our self-suffiency!
Man has never been designed to “go it alone”, as it were, but to rely on his Creator’s infinite energy in facing every problem in his life be it spiritual or otherwise. In the Bible we see some men coming to grips with this truth and becoming heroes’ of faith. By the same token in the Scriptures, sadly we see some of these very heroes’ becoming zeroes’ when they turned their backs to this simple yet life-defining truth. Have they not been written in the Scriptures in order we act warily in these times (I Cor 10:11)? Take the Judean King Asa for example. When we first read about him in I Kings he is introduced to us as a man “who did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done” (I Kings 15:11). At par with completely God-dependant David! Hmmm…David…right from handling lions in his days as a shepherd to facing Goliath, and onto the numerous challenges all through-out his life, if there was one trait which distinguished him as a great hero of faith, it was HIS GOD-DEPENDANCE…ofcourse, there was at one time a fall in this crucial matter of dependence, which to David’s eternal credit, it must be said was quickly remedied (2 Sam 24). A lofty compliment indeed it was for Asa to be put on the same footing as David! Fast forward to 2 Chronicles 16:9, we come across a sad Divine denunciation…” You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war." What exactly transpired between 1 Kings 15:11 - 2 Chronicles 16:9 to bring about such a downturn in God’s assessment of Asa’s reign? We need to look at the FULL PICTURE to arrive at an answer. Early, in his reign we see Asa walking in step with the Almighty, like an obedient son would walk hand in hand with his Dad, so much so, once when confronted by a huge Ethiopian army of 1 million soldiers, he lets “his Dad face the enemy” virtually (2 Chronicles 14:11-12)! The result? A stupendous victory! After many years of a prosperous reign, a much smaller adversary (King Baasha to be precise from across the border) marches against him. This time, instead of simply depending on his incomparable “shield and buckler” (Psalm 18:2,30,35) to protect him, we see Asa seeking ludicrously refuge of an idolatrous, capricious, fallible, puny Syrian King. Result? A fully-deserving Divine indictment, we read of in 2 Chronicles 16:9.
At this stage, let’s introspect honestly. Do the strong, piercing words of Apostle Paul to errant Galatian Churches apply to us- “Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Gal 3:3-KJV)? The Churches in Galatia after making a wonderful start in their Christian walk by totally depending on God’s Grace and spirit slipped tragically into ritualistic, man-made mode of seeking salvation. Are we ignorantly toeing their line or are we exercising “GOD-DEPENDANCE” in every area of our lives, at all times? Be it spiritual or otherwise. Our Lord Jesus is our role-model. Right from his conception onwards (Matt 1:18) to the astounding power in His Ministry (Luke 4:14 –the early Church followed suit – Acts 4:31,5:15,19:11), to his suffering (Heb 9:14) and right to His resurrection (Romans 8:11) EVERYTHING WAS OF, FOR AND BY GOD’S SPIRIT! As Christians, if we have been REDEEMED by the power of His Spirit from our sinful nature inherited from our first parents (John 1:12), then SANCTIFIED AND MOULDED into Christ-like image by the power of his spirit (2 Cor 3:18) and are finally going to be converted into GLORIFIED bodies at Rapture by the POWER OF HIS SPIRIT (Romans 8:11), then what is preventing us from handing over all the reins of our life into His hands? Oh how our Lord would want to be involved in every area of our life! Yes, even in sensitive areas’ such as marital joys in which husband and wife partake (1 Tim 4:3-5)! Mind you, He comes into our life not to be a mere resident but to be a PRESIDENT! I reiterate our Lord’s participation in our lives should not be limited to the spiritual realm. In my 16 years of marketing career before entering full-time service, oh how many times I came-up trumps when I depended on Him completely to help me achieve my job-targets and ouch…(it pains), how I bit the dust sometimes, when I foolishly depended on my own resources!
Lest there be any misunderstanding on this critical subject (with folks resorting to total passivity), I hasten to add at this stage that God-dependence stripped of all its fanciful strapping is all about prayerfully handing over all our problems into His hands and then doing our level best, as per His leading. Remember David, whilst combating Goliath; he did his part of carrying the sling and stones and then slinging the stone and God did the rest!
Brother, Christian life is all about walking on water. One needs to get “off the boat” (that is your role in the entire act) and in faith depending totally on His Spirit, start “walking on water”! Coming back to negatively positive and positively positive New Year resolutions, remember at the beginning of this Sermon, I stated that I would recommend an ideal blend of 2 types of NYRs’. So here goes “DO NOT lean on your own resources rather START relying more on His never-failing Spirit”. This resolution taken at New Year or at any time earnestly would determine not only your destiny but many of your eternal rewards!
(Suresh Manoharan)
www.jandsmministries.com
