Archive for the ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ Category

6 Jan

A God of second chances

Posted by Zachary P. Hubbard in advice, Bible, christ, Christian, Christianity, Faith, Fault, forgiveness, Grace, Hope, Jesus, New Year's Resolutions, Religion, Simple Living, simplicity, Sin, spiritual. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , .

As I began penning this piece, it was January 1st, a day traditionally associated with resolutions. According to the American Heritage dictionary, a resolution is “a firm decision to do something.” Common resolutions people make for the New Year include exercising more, losing weight, curbing alcohol consumption, and paying off credit cards. Making a New Year’s resolution requires one to recognize they’ve failed in some facet of their life and need a second chance to set things right.

Everybody needs a second chance at one time or another.  Fortunately for Christians, we serve a God of second chances, who shows His grace and mercy to sinners who repent and turn to Him. The Bible is full of second chance stories.  Here are just a few, starting with the book of Genesis.

In Genesis 2, we are introduced to Adam and Eve, who God created man and woman and placed in a beautiful garden in Eden.  There they tended the garden and enjoyed its magnificent food and natural beauty. God made only one rule for the garden.  The couple was not to eat from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. You’ve likely heard the story—in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve break the rule and as punishment they are forever cast out of the garden and forced to work the soil to raise food by the sweat of their labor. In chapter 4, Eve gave birth to two sons, Cain and Abel.  Out of jealousy, the older brother Cain murdered his brother Abel. Yet by the end of chapter 4, Eve gives birth to another son named Seth, to replace Abel. Seth was surely a second chance for Adam and Eve, even though there is no evidence they ever repented of their sins against God.

In Genesis 6, begins the story of Noah and the great flood. By this point in time mankind has become evil and rebellious towards God.  It is so bad that God actually regrets having made man.  Yet there remains Noah, a righteous man who is favored by God. God tells Noah he is going to cause a flood to destroy every living thing on the surface of the Earth.  He instructs Noah to build a giant ark (or ship) and to fill it with certain animals that will repopulate the Earth after the flood waters recede. Noah obeys God’s instructions. In addition to the animals, Noah takes his wife, his sons, and his sons’ wives into the ark. Noah’s entire family received a second chance and survived the flood.  From this small group, the entire Earth was repopulated with humans.

In Genesis 12, God calls Abram, a keeper of flocks and herds, out of Babylon to go to the land of Caanan, which God pledges to give Abram’s descendants. Abram takes his wife Sarai and brother-in-law Lot and departs for Caanan along with his animals and servants. Sarah was barren and could not give Abraham an heir. Years later, with Sarai and Abram growing old and fearful Abram might die without an heir, Sarai convinces him to take Sarai’s Egyptian slave Hagar as his wife to bear an heir for Abram. Hagar bore him a son named Ishmael when Abram was 86 years old.

But God had plans for Abram and Sarai. When Abram was 99 years old, God made a covenant with him, changing his name to Abraham, meaning “father of many nations.” God also changed Sarai’s name to Sarah, meaning “princess” and promised that she would bear a son, Isaac, who would be the heir of the covenant. Sarah conceived in her old age. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. As a natural born heir, Isaac was a second chance for Abraham some 14 years after Ishmael, Abraham’s son by a slave, was born.

The Apostle Peter’s denial of Jesus is described in all four Gospels.  Just before Jesus was arrested, He warned His disciples of what is going to happen. Peter boasts in John 13, that he would lay down his life for Jesus.  Jesus counters and declares Peter will deny him three times. After Jesus’ is arrested, Peter denies Jesus three times out of fear of His captors. This is described in John 18. Jumping to John 21, the resurrected Jesus forgives Peter and reinstates him to his former position of leadership, commanding Peter to care for Jesus’ flock (people).

Like Peter, it is easy for us to believe we are more righteous than we really are. Like Jesus forgave Peter, so we ought to forgive those who sin against us. Christians serve a God of second chances. While I have given only a few examples, God gave second chances to many people in the Bible, forgiving and restoring them after they sinned or disobeyed Him. As Peter learned firsthand, God offers the ultimate second chance to all humanity through His Son Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins and rose again to give us eternal life. God invites us to respond to His second chance by repenting of our sins, trusting in His grace, and following His will.

Look up from the situation you lament and let it become the pleasant place where God comes to save you. –Rev. Tim Fountain

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. –Romans 5:8 (NIV)

6 Jan

A New Beginning

Posted by Zachary P. Hubbard in advice, Bible, Choices, Christianity, Consequences, Daily Devotional, discipline, Faith, Gifts, New Year, New Year's Resolutions, Religion, Salvation, simplicity, Sin, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , .

new-years-resolution

The New Year has arrived and for many it’s a time for making resolutions and new beginnings—trying to set aside bad habits and/or adopt new, beneficial routines. Unfortunately, for most people it’s nearly impossible to succeed in such endeavors. 

A Forbes Magazine article published in January 2013 reported on a study conducted at the University of Scranton. It indicated that only about 8 percent of people who make New Year’s resolutions achieve their goals. Looking at this a different way, 92 percent fail!

Despite the slim chance of succeeding, many will continue to make New Year’s resolutions year after year.  I confess that I’m guilty.  Last year I made a resolution to lose 10 pounds—I now have only have 15 pounds to go (sigh).

The Bible is full of promises and stories about new beginnings. (all citations ESV)

  • Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
  • Ezekiel 36:26 – “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
  • John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
  • 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
  • Ephesians 4:22-24 – “…the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
  • 1 Peter 1:3 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
  • Revelation 21:5 – “And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true’.”

Fortunately for us all, God makes new beginnings and he never fails if we will simply let him do His work.  His greatest new beginning was foretold in the Old Testament, described in the Gospels, and recounted in the Epistles. It was God’s gift of His son Jesus to save us from our sins.

Christ’s salvation of mankind was completed over 2,000 years ago through Jesus’ crucifixion. His resurrection from the dead on the third day is evidence of Jesus’ victory over Sin and Death.

Jesus died to cleanse all mankind from their sins.  For those who don’t already know him, that salvation is like a beautifully wrapped present sitting beneath a Christmas tree.  The present has no owner until someone opens it, takes what is inside, and makes it their own.

St. Paul describes how to do this in his epistle to the Romans. There is no long list of do’s and don’ts.  God’s plan of salvation is beautiful in its simplicity, requiring only confession and sincere belief.

“…because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”  Romans 10:9-10

Martin Luther wrote about what it means to be “justified” before god, saying that justification is a “… righteousness that God gives freely by His grace to people who don’t have righteousness of their own.”  Even though those who have accepted Jesus’ gift of salvation will continue to sin, because of Christ’s sacrifice they remain righteous in the eyes of God.

It is my hope that you have already received this free gift.  If not, however, please consider making it your own today!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace there
will be no end, on the throne of David and over his
kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice
and with righteousness from this time forth and  
forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

                                                                                            Isaiah 9:6-7