“Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” (Luke 17:33)
Christmas is over and the new year is here.
If you’re like me, you’ve already decided that 2010 is going to bring some major changes in your life. These “New Year’s Resolutions” are nothing more than outward and visible signs of things that are frustrating us in life. They are remedies to the failures that we have experienced. Interestingly, they often point to some our most glaring weaknesses.
Looking back at how we have lived is important. After all, as the saying goes, if we don’t learn from history, then we are sure to repeat it. But don’t look at just the physical, financial, or emotional dimensions of your life. Look at the spiritual progress that you have made over the last year. Are you closer to God today than you were this time last year?
2009 has been one of the most revealing years in my Christian life. Our Internet devotions ministry has exploded, I published a book, and had the honor to marry my son. Through these and other experiences that God brought my way, I have grown spiritually. I still don’t always understand him, but I can honestly say I am closer to him today than I was this same time last year.
I am grateful for the changes that God has made in me over the years, and even though I am not always pleased with the pace at which he brings change to me, I know that his way is best. The fact is any major change in my life will never last unless it comes slow enough for me to understand it. I guess that’s why he once said, “For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)
It’s hard being a Christian in today’s world. The distractions and demands that the world puts in front of us mean that we will occasionally stumble. The Apostle Paul said is this way: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. (Romans 3:23) It’s a fact of life. Christians are not immune from sin. We just happen to be running in a different direction.
The 1800’s songwriter, Horatius Bonar, realized that it’s the little things that can make or break the Christian. He wrote, “A holy life is made up of a multitude of small things. It is the little things of the hour and not the great things of the age that fill up a life…Little words, not eloquent speeches or sermons; little deeds, not miracles or battles, or one great heroic effort or martyrdom, make up the true Christian life. It’s the little constant sunbeam, not the lightning, the waters of Siloam that go softly in their meek mission of refreshment, not the waters of the rivers great and many rushing down in torrent noise, and force, that are the true symbols of a holy life.”
Most of us tend to look for big changes in our lives when we try to measure our spiritual progress. We shortchange God when we overlook the small victories he has brought our way.
This year instead of offering those New Year’s Resolutions that you never seem to be able to keep, acknowledge and enjoy the small changes that life can bring. It is there where you will find a loving and caring God who is more than ready to help you win the battles. After all, when he reached down and saved you, the war was won.
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