This week’s Monday Motivation video from Tommy Newberry included a quote from his father that set me to thinking. “Don’t be upset by the results you didn’t get from the work you didn’t do.”  (Click here to view the video.)  We face opportunities the new year affords, so I want to challenge you again to live intentionally.  I especially want to encourage you to do so regarding your faith walk with as a Jesus follower.

Live Intentionally as God’s Partner

Sanctification is the big theological word we use to label spiritual growth.  And there is a sense in which we are partners with God in our development.  Not equal partners, mind you, we have a “minority stake” in the partnership.  But we do have a stake.  

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Philippians 2:12-13

Let’s be clear.  Our spiritual growth is a work of grace.  It occurs only through the power of the Holy Spirit working in our hearts and lives.  We cannot try harder or do more to make ourselves more mature.  However, God does not exercise that power in our lives until we submit to it and desire it.  In this partnership, we provide the want to and God provides the ability to.

In verse 12 above, Paul challenges us to “work out” our salvation.  He does not mean we work to attain it or achieve it, but to exercise it.  In this context he is operating on the presupposition that we are already born-again Jesus followers.  

People go to the gym to “workout.”  When they do that, they do not create new muscles.  They already have all their muscles from birth.  The workout helps melt fat away from the muscles and makes them stronger and more flexible.  Workouts can produce new muscle growth but they cannot produce new muscle.

Likewise, we can “workout” spiritually.  Through spiritual disciplines, our lives can become a healthy, Spirit-driven example of walking with Jesus.  We don’t work to attain salvation. But our willingness to submit to God’s work in us is our part of the partnership.

Live Intentionally through Spiritual Discipline

The athlete employs several disciplines to facilitate their growth.  We also have a few basic spiritual disciplines that provide the platform for God to do His work in us.

Nutrition.  Someone who wants to get into shape physically starts with eating healthy.  They avoid food that is detrimental and counterproductive to their health goals.  And they partake of foods that are beneficial and facilitate their health goals.

As believers, our diet is God’s Word.  I encourage you to read the Bible in two ways. Read longer passages to give you a broad perspective on Scripture.  But also study shorter passages to give you depth and insight into truths you can live out each day.

Exercise.  Getting into shape requires extended and intense activity.  You’ve probably heard the expression “no pain, no gain.”  We exercise our faith-lives by serving – our family, church, and community.  When we serve others, we use the spiritual nutrition we have gained from God’s Word.  Those nutritious spiritual nuggets provide the knowledge and motivation to serve.

Rest. The body needs rest to refuel and recover.  Without the proper rest, both the nutrition we eat and the exercise we engage go to waste.  Prayer is the rest equivalent in our walk with Jesus.  We need to spend adequate time each day with Him.  This type of prayer is not so much our shopping list of wants and needs we bring to God.  The kind of prayer that provides spiritual rest is silent, reflective prayer where we allow God to speak to us.  In these moments He refreshes and reassures us.  More on this kind of praying in a future blog.  But for now, spend some time with the Lord in silence.  Sure, share with Him what’s on your heart and the needs of people you love.  But also spend time declaring your need for Him.

Live Intentionally…and Creatively

I could go on.  We need community like athletes need teams.  And also, we need accountability, coaching, and camaraderie.  But you must start somewhere.  

How will you fuel your spiritual life?  What sins and what unbelief are poisoning your spiritual life?  Will you confess them and claim His forgiveness?  How are you exercising your faith?  Do you intentionally allow God to work through you as you serve others?

You have a whole new year ahead of you.  Don’t be upset that you aren’t growing if you aren’t trying.  Put in your work, and I will guarantee God will put in His. 

Despite the celebrations, New Year’s Day is only another day on our endless trip around the Sun.  But a new year is also an opportunity to write a new chapter in the story arc of our lives.  One of the most important story arcs involves our spiritual growth.  I hope that you set some goals to be more intentional about growing in your faith in 2022.  Here are some of my recommendations that I pray will help you write some new spiritual story arcs in 2022.

Bible Reading Plan Recommendations

The Navigators Bible Reading Plan – Read the Bible through in a year with 4 passages a day.

Read the Bible Through One Book at a Time – Two readings a day, one from an Old Testament book, the other from a New Testament book.

5x5x5 Reading Plan – Read the New Testament through in a year, 5 minutes a day, 5 days a 
week, with 5 ways to dig deeper

Chronological Bible Reading Plan – read through the entire Bible in one year in the chronological order the events occurred.

Bible Study and Daily Devotional Recommendations

New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp – short but poignant daily readings that lead us to Scripture and point us to the grace of God in our daily lives.  I personally used this one in 2021.

Foundations 260 Daily Bible Study Plan – a two 260 day reading plan that highlights the foundational passages of Scripture that every disciple should know.  Read more at the web page.  Even consider ordering the book.

First 5 – email and app based Bible study primarily geared toward women.

Christian Living Book Recommendations

A Praying Life by Paul Miller – this book will give you a new perspective on personal prayer.  Miller’s book has helped me see prayer more as a conversation with God than a chore to be accomplished.

Gospel Fluency by Jeff Vanderstelt – The Gospel is more than just Jesus forgiving our sins and promising heaven.  Every day, we benefit from the ongoing work of grace through the work of the Holy Spirit.  In my opinion, this book should be required reading for every believer.  

The Kingdom Agenda by Tony Evans – a whole new way of looking at the world and our place in it.  Another I consider to be required reading.

Online Bible Programs, Bible Apps

You Version – the best all-around Bible app there is.  About a gazillion translation.  And… it will read out loud to you.

Blue Letter Bible – probably the most extensive free online Bible resource available to the average lay person

Bible Gateway – the best for looking up Bible verses.  Lots of other study tools as well.

Experience Israel Now – lots of teaching videos and other resources from Andy Cook

The Gospel in Life – resources, articles, and sermons by Tim Keller

The Crossway Podcasts – a collection of helpful podcasts for Christian living.

These are but a few of the resources I have found helpful.  If you have questions about specific resources or things not mentioned, feel free to reach out and ask.  You can leave a comment below and I will get back with you ASAP.

Have a happy and holy new year!

For more on New Years and spiritual growth, click here to read The Value of New Year’s Resolutions

In an ironic but unfortunate turn of events, fire destroyed a local volunteer fire department station.  Since the station is manned by volunteers, no one was there when the fire broke out.  And by the time firefighters arrived, flames fully engulfed the station.  Thankfully, other than a knee injury to the battalion chief, no other firefighters were injured battling the blaze.

The Station Fire and the Church

The fire at the fire station was an accidental and unfortunate event.  No one would have ever imagined a fire destroying a fire station.  But as I read the story, my mind immediately began to envision parallels and implications for local churches.

One if the ironies about the catastrophe was that a pumper truck parked inside the station was also destroyed in the fire.  Something that normally fights fires succumbed to fire.  Our mission as Jesus’ church is to take His life saving message to a broken community around us.  But, like that fire truck, when we keep the mission inside the church, we risk not only the loss of our community but our church as well. Jesus warned the church at Ephesus that He would remove their light if they didn’t return to Him. (Revelation 2:1-7)

I sense the 21^st Century church has become very inward focused and consumer minded.  We want to attend a church that caters to our needs and our preferences.  We are content keeping the firetruck parked in the station so we can admire it.

A Practical Consideration

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Yes, even Jesus attended the Feast of Dedication, otherwise known as Hanukkah.

Hanukkah is a joyful celebration for the Jewish faith commemorating a very important time in their history. The celebration runs for 8 days and is usually celebrated during the same time Christians celebrate Jesus’ birth.

The Background of Hanukkah

Mid-2^nd Century BC, the Syrians under Antiochus Epiphanes overtook Jerusalem and forced Greek culture and worship on the inhabitants. Antiochus went so far as to declare the Temple a temple of the false God Zeus. He did the most unthinkable thing in the Jews eyes, he sacrificed a pig on the altar.

In 165 BC a group of rebels headed by Judas Maccabee, won a long battle to regain control of Jerusalem. They rededicated the Temple desecrated by Antiochus and re-established the worship of Yahweh. Judas declared an 8 day celebration of the temple’s rededication. Hanukkah, which means “dedication,” became a yearly celebration of remembrance of that event.

Jesus Celebrates Hanukkah

About midway through John 10:22-39, we read of Jesus attending the Feast of Dedication. As he attended the feast, the Bible says the Jewish leaders surrounded him. They asked him to declare so publicly if he claimed to be the long-awaited Messiah. Jesus countered that he had already declared that truth and proved his claim through several Messianic signs.

Up to that point, Jesus had verifiably performed six of the seven signs John would record in his Gospel  Read More

The heart of every sin and every temptation we face is a question of whether or not we will believe who God is and take Him at His word. When we fail to believe Him, we sin.

Misbelief and/or disbelief in God and His word will always lead to sin. The remedy however is one of the hardest things we have to do. It is like swallowing a bitter pill. Repent – to admit to God that we were wrong and to begin walking he path of obedience.

This short, two minute video take a look at why repentance is do difficult but so necessary.

1 John 1:8 – 2:1

For the full sermon and to view other sermons go to My Sermon Page

Jesus taught us that our words come from the overflow of our heart (Matthew 12:34).  If we take the time to listen to what we say, we can learn a lot about our spiritual condition.  Our use of pronouns is a great indicator of our attitudes toward ourselves and others.

Pronouns are words that stand in the place of proper nouns.  For instance, if you tell a story about a man named John, you do not use his name every time.  You use the pronouns he, him, his and such as that.  But even more telling is the way we use pronouns that refer to us in comparison to others.  

The New Testament records the phrase “one another” about 50 times in ways that instruct us how to treat each other.  Nothing diagnoses our attitude about our other people more than the way we use pronouns to refer to them.  Here are three pronoun “red lights” and ways we can reframe them for a more others-friendly attitude.

You Instead of Me Assigns BLAME

Blaming others comes naturally.  That started in the Garden of Eden.  Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent.  The devil still finds success getting people to blame others rather than taking personal responsibility.  

Sometimes others are responsible for the circumstances of our lives.  But more times than not, our actions and reactions could have made the situation turn out differently.  

Listen to yourself.  When less than desirable circumstances befall you, what is your default explanation.  

“If only she had ____, then…” 

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