How to Have a “HAPPY” New Year
Phil 3:10-14
10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
We have grown very accustomed at this time of the year to use the familiar greeting, “Happy New Year!” I sometimes wonder if we really give any serious thought to what we mean when we use this phrase. Happiness is usually defined according to situations (happenings) and goals in life. In other words, happiness is different things to different people. For example, happiness may be defined as:
Hearing your dentist say, “No cavities this time.”
Having someone else pick up the check.
Finding your son’s room picked up.
Hearing your husband say, “Can I help you with the dishes?”
Having your in-laws cancel their stay with you.
A proposal you thought you’d never get
Losing that weight
Happiness is such an elusive thing and also very difficult to define. That’s because it could be linked to varying experiences such as, success, good grades, a raise, a bonus, retirement, etc., etc.
PERSONALLY, I VIEW HAPPINESS AS BEING A FRAME OF MIND. Happiness, like so many things in life is a CHOICE! It/s being able to “cope” with whatever comes our way. It’s living the a live of victory, rejoicing in all things.
If you want a biblical example of a truly happy man in this sense, then I present to you as “exhibit A,” the Apostle Paul. He was an amazing, God-controlled man. But this kind of person, like all champions, are generally made, not born. Paul didn’t become the man he was by accident. At least e words characterized his life, and these same 3 words will help us discover how to have a “Happy New Year.”
These 3 life-changing words are all found within the Scripture passage read this morning:
1. Purpose
2. Attitude
3. Determination
These are the words that describe what made Paul tick. Let’s look at each of them carefully.
1. Purpose
Whether Paul was mending tents, or writing a letter to a church, or preaching to a crowd in the marketplace, he was driven by one all-consuming purpose and that was to know God (v.10).
In season and out of season, consciously and subconsciously, Paul relentlessly pursued this dynamic purpose. He possessed a deep desire to not merely know about Jesus but to know Him intimately.
His purpose was very much like that of King David, who prayed as found in Psalm 42:1: “My soul followed hard after thee, O God.”
Maybe Paul’s reason for such a driving purpose had to do with his conversion experience.
Disraeli, the former prime-minister of Great Britain, said, “The secret of success is consistency of purpose.” Too often our purpose in life changes from day to day. But not so with Paul. He knew why he was going.
Let me ask you: What is the all-consuming dynamic purpose in your life?
I remember how I felt as a young man—before I came to know Christ. I had no real purpose or direction in life. I’ll tell you what—there’s no contentment in that! Only uncertainty and frustration.
The Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful and costly tombs ever built, but there is something fascinating about its beginnings.
In 1629, when the favorite wife of Indian ruler Shah Jahan died, he ordered that a magnificent tomb be built as a memorial to her. The shah placed his wife’s casket in the middle of a parcel of land, and construction of the temple literally began around it. But several years into the venture, the Shah’s grief for his wife gave way to a passion for the project. One day while he was surveying the sight, he reportedly stumbled over a wooden box, and he had some workers throw it out. It was months before he realized that his wife’s casket had been destroyed. The original purpose for the memorial became lost in the details of construction.
Dr. James Dobson, Coming Home, Timeless Wisdom for Families, (Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton; 1998), p. 122
When you know where you’re going and why—what a difference. To have a purpose—a spiritual purpose in life—you well on your way to experiencing a happy life.
The second life-changing, happiness-producing word for 2002 is…
2. Attitude
Attitudes determine actions. They conquer who believe they can. Just notice a few of the powerful, uplifting phrases we find in this passage:
Verse 8: “that I may win Christ”
Verse 10: “that I may know him”
Verse 12: “I follow after”
Verse 13: “Forgetting those things which are behind”
Verse 14: “I press toward the mark”
As we start out on our journey in the New Year (or even a new day, for that matter), there are 2 suitcases waiting to be picked up. One is marked “negative” and the other is marked “positive.” Which one will we pick up? Its our decision. Now the devil wants us to grab the negative one. He doesn’t want us to think that we can have a great year. He wants us to dress in mourning clothes and expect nothing but gloom and doom.
Norman Vincent Peale told a story about a group of people who, at the end of the year, wrote down their expectations of the coming year. Each sealed his “New Year Expectations” in an envelope to be opened and read aloud only at the end of the following year.
One man had written, “In the next year all I can expect more of the old miserable same.” Guess what? That’s exactly what he got!
A woman listed 10 worthy goals she expected to receive. Nine of the ten had come into fruition.
Another man, basing his expectations on Capricorn, his birth sign, predicted that he would have difficulty and frustrations. He got them, too.
One man died during the year. When the envelope was opened, his expectation read: “As none of the men in my family have survived beyond the age of 60, I expect to die this year.” And he did—one month before his 60th birthday.
But, you ask, “How is it possible in a chaotic world like ours, with all of it’s sin and pain and suffering to have a believing attitude? How can anyone be that optimistic?
Well, I must confess that there are times when I, too am overwhelmed with what’s happening around us. But that’s just the point. We dare not focus too much attention on the world. When I look up to Jesus, I find reason for hope and optimism.
James 1:17: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, and comes down to us.”
Here’s a wonderful attitude to take into 2002: Develop a good forgettery. In verse 13, Paul says, “Forgetting those things which are behind…”—our failures, our sins, our sorrows. It’s a New Year and a new day! He would have been useless to God if he had carried his baggage with him.
Remember that the chisel of the Sculptor cuts, but it is to make the image more attractive. The fingers of the potter press in upon the clay, but only to make the vessel more beautiful.
The Masai are a nomadic tribe of Africans who live now much as they have for centuries. When they move their villages, they burn their huts because they do not believe in the past. They hate to be photographed because film makes a record of the past.
However, this is not quite what Paul had in mind. We must be selective in our forgetting. The past is important and instructive. But to live in the past would be a great mistake.
The last life-changing word that makes for a happy New Year is…
3. Determination
In the 15th verse of our Scripture, Paul writes, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God is Christ Jesus.”
Consider the phrase, “I press…” The Christian life is not a picnic. It requires discipline plus determination. The words, “I press” are strenuous. The picture is that of a runner, straining every muscle, every fiber, every tissue in his forward movement.
When Napoleon became emperor of France, he selected the bee as the emblem of the new France because it symbolized work and industry. He wrote, “I love to work. Even when I sleep, I dream about working.”
Paul’s life was a torrent of spiritual desire. His single-mindedness is again expressed in the phrase, “this one thing I do…” (vs.13). All of his God-given gifts were focused on this one purpose: that I may know Him.”
Nothing is so powerful in life as single-mindedness. Jesus, in Matthew 6:22 says, “If therefore your eye is single, your whole body shall be full of light.”
Jim Brown is considered by most football fans, coaches and players, to be the greatest runner of all time. He was single-minded. He made football his life—his consuming passion. Since boyhood he had one goal in life—to become the greatest runner in pro football. He saw himself as accomplishing it. He trained very hard. He sacrificed. And when it became a reality, it came as no surprise to him.
Happiness flows in large part to a sense of accomplishment—whether as a parent, a worker, a student, or an athlete, or whatever. Paul longed to hear his Savior say, “Good job. You’ve been a faithful servant.”
Illus.: Tom & Eleanor
I’d like to tell you the story of two children. The parents of the first child were somewhat mismatched. His father was unemployed with no formal schooling. His mother was a teacher. This child, born in Port Huron, Michigan, was estimated to have an IQ of 81. He was withdrawn from school after three months--and was considered backward by school officials. The child enrolled in school two years late due to scarlet fever and respiratory infections. And he was going deaf. His emotional health was poor. He was stubborn, aloof, and showed very little emotion. He liked mechanics. He also liked to play with fire and burned down his father’s barn. He showed some manual dexterity, but used very poor grammar. But he did want to be a scientist or a railroad mechanic.
The second child showed not much more promise either. This child was born of an alcoholic father. As a child she was sickly, bedridden, and often hospitalized. She was considered erratic and withdrawn. She would bite her nails and had numerous phobias. She wore a back-brace from a spinal defect and would constantly seek attention. She was a daydreamer with no vocational goals, although she expressed a desire to help the elderly and the poor.
Who were these two children? The boy from Port Huron became one of the world’s greatest inventors--Thomas A. Edison. And the awkward and sickly young girl became a champion of the oppressed--Eleanor Roosevelt.
PURPOSE—ATTITUDE—DETERMINATION. These combine to make for the frame of mind needed for happiness.
So, when I say “Happy New Year,” what I really mean is “”Have that frame of mind that will keep you contented all the year through.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
