Setting The Tone
It feels as though we cannot slow the speed at which the days disappear before our eyes. I know many of us have started to let our New Year resolutions slip by now; there is too much to do in too little time, but we need to take time to rethink how we want our year to go.
Consider how much God, our heavenly father; Jesus, our Lord, and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, our comforter and strength who provides wisdom and truth, value us. They were willing to pay the ultimate price, Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, to show us the way home and have us with them for eternity.
We have the incredible opportunity to share God's love with others.
When we decide to follow Jesus, it's not always a walk in the park. It requires us to lay down our lives and live for Him instead of ourselves, just like it says in II Corinthians 5:14-15 (NLT). Paul captures it well: "Either way, Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised from the dead for them."
So, what does that look like to us in our daily lives? Paul has given us the answer in I Corinthians 13.
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now, we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then, we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now, these three remain faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
When we consider the entirety of the chapter, the beginning says, in essence, you can have all the gifts, talents, faith, and even resources, but if you don't have love, you are nothing more than a noisy gong, a clanging cymbal, you are nothing. Our confidence, who we are without love, holds no value.
Who we are as followers of Jesus Christ rests solely on our willingness to love, loving God above all, and then loving others as he has loved us. Jesus says these are the two "greatest commands"; 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.” In John 15:12 NIV, He clarifies how we are to love one another. ‘My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
But here's the thing: this commitment to follow Jesus is not a one-time thing. It's a daily choice we have to make. Just like our New Year's resolutions tend to fade away, our commitment to following Jesus can also waver. I like to think of it as a "battery" - how much battery life do I have until my commitment weakens? Everyday challenges and distractions can easily divert our attention and slowly pull us away from our commitment to lay down our lives and follow Jesus' loving example.
The other day, I talked with some friends about a sermon we heard at church. It got us thinking about how easy it is to be bothered by others' behavior and how we can sometimes fall into the same patterns. We started discussing what we could do to minimize those risks, and the consensus was to surrender. Surrendering our will to God daily is crucial, not just once but every day. It may have different meanings for each of us - freedom, peace, security - but ultimately, it means letting go of our self-centeredness and "dying to self" by giving up our own will for the purposes and plans of God. Determining it is God's will, not ours.
We have control of our response to our circumstances, even if we might not always have control over what's happening in the circumstances around us. Despite the circumstances, we can surrender and allow God to guide us. We can trust Him to lead us through difficult times and provide peace and hope. We can also rely on God for strength to endure any challenges we may face. We can depend on Him for wisdom and direction to make life decisions.
Can you stop and take time to consider wholeheartedly committing yourself to follow Jesus even more closely. Let's lay down our lives and truly walk in His footsteps. Take time to pray for God's will and dedicate each day to following Him as we make this a time of renewal and restoration as we fully commit ourselves to following Jesus.