Loyal, OK

 
Pastor Leon Seaton

Preparing for the Future

Many people believe that a New Year calls for New Year’s resolutions. They may be right. The older I get the more I agree with the fellow that said, “I plan to keep my resolutions a secret. That way, if I break them no one will know!” He may be right. Of course no accountability may mean that we are of no account.

What’s in a Name? From the Complete Speaker’s Almanac, p. 22

“January is named after the Roman god Janus, an appropriate personification of the start of the new year. This particular Roman god had two faces so that he could look ahead toward the future and back at the past at the same time.

“As we get rid of an old year and look forward to a new one, we all try to be a little like Janus. We know through experience what we did wrong and what we did right, and hope to do better this year. Some people make ambitious New Year’s resolutions; others just take a deep breath and hope for the best.…"

I Am the New Year from the Bible Illustrator

I am the New Year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.

I am your next chance at the art of living. I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months.

All that you sought and didn’t find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination.

All the good that you tried for and didn’t achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires.

All that you dreamed but didn’t dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have—these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose.

I am your opportunity to renew your allegiance to Him who said, "Behold, I make all things new."
 

A New Year’s Prayer: found at: www.appleseeds.org

May God make your year a happy one!
Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,
But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;
Not by making your path easy,
But by making you sturdy to travel any path;
Not by taking hardships from you,
But by taking fear from your heart;
Not by granting you unbroken sunshine,
But by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows;
Not by making your life always pleasant,
But by showing you when people and their causes need you most;
     and by making you anxious to be there to help.
May God’s love, peace, hope and joy be given to you for the year ahead!

John 1:1-18

When Jesus Christ came into the world, everything changed! As an infant He drew a crowd of shepherds. By age two He had drawn a small crowd of Magi – wise men from the East.

At age 12 He confounded the teachers in the Temple.

At age 30 He quietly set out to reform the entire world. All He ever did was do exactly what God the Father asked Him to do. And He did it through the power of the Holy Spirit. You and I have that same power available to us today.

The question is simply this. Am I willing to submit to God’s will or will I keep on doing Leon’s will?

There is a reason that the Son of God is called the Word. Our words explain our minds to others. Jesus said, “If you know Me, you know the Father.” Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, very God Himself.

John 1 calls Jesus the Word, and it calls Him God. Verse 3 states, “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.”

Matthew Henry asserted that this means everything from the highest angel to the lowest worm. That being true, then Jesus is fully qualified to purchase our redemption and salvation. The best thing that you and I can do is to get fully acquainted with Jesus Christ through studying the Word, through prayer and through living a life totally devoted to God as did Jesus.

If your experience is anything like mine, the more time you spend in study and prayer, the more opportunities you have to minster the love and grace of Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist was an absolutely fascinating person. He understood his role and he fulfilled it with class. He lived in the wilderness and had a very unique dress code.

John's clothes were made of camel's hair and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. (Matthew 3:1-6, NIV, quoting Isaiah 40:3)

John was a humble man. He did not try to grab the spotlight from Jesus… he explained that his role was to introduce the Light of the World. In fact he said, “I’m not even worthy to untie His shoes.” (Remember that the next time you want to argue with God!)

Jesus came to save the world from its sin. He said that He was “In the world, but not of the world.” Because Jesus created this world He wanted to redeem it from its sin and degradation. Even though He created the world, it did not recognize Him.

The first time Jesus came as a Savior. On His return He will come as the Judge. At that time the world will know Him.

While we are not in the judging business we can know whether or not people belong to Jesus by their actions and attitudes. We are in the interceding business, however.

As we look toward serving God during this New Year we need to examine our own lives, then look to see if we can find others that need to know Him better – or get saved to start with!

When Jesus gave us the Great Commission He empowered us to seek and to save those who are lost in sin. In one of His parables He tells of a ruler that invited people to a wedding feast. They did not come so he told his servants, “Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in.”

This is the challenge that we have before us this year. We must focus on bringing new people into the kingdom of God. When we do this we declare war on the devil’s territory. Ephesians 6:1-12 explains this: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Satan seldom bothers a church that is focused on the status quo. O, he will tempt us to do less and to be self-satisfied. But when we start getting new converts, Satan’s blood boils and he sets a defensive against us.

WE ARE CHOSEN.

“For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.”  (Ephesians 1:4)

You and I have been chosen. We have been chosen to be a child of God, which we are if we have received Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. Can you really get your mind around such a powerful idea? You have been chosen!

As children we often chose teams… being a non-leader I hated waiting to be chosen… But God has chosen us!

Several years ago, a California aerospace company hired a motivational consultant to examine and stimulate its work force. The consultant interviewed one of the senior vice presidents who told him about a particular section where production and performance were extremely high. Turnover and absenteeism in this department were the lowest in the company. Morale was very high. What seemed to puzzle the executive was that the work done there was mechanical and repetitive. This group of employees maintained the pipes in the plant. Their job was checking temperatures and pressures. The delicacy of the equipment meant that the pipes had to work within strict tolerances or there would be expensive damage.

But why was morale so high? 

The consultant visited the department and the foreman took him on a tour. The consultant noticed that all the workers wore green surgical smocks. He asked the foreman about it. The foreman explained that he got them from his son, a cardiovascular surgeon. The consultant said, "Ah, so you wear them for comfort." "No, no!" the foreman said, "It's because we are surgeons. Just like my son. He takes care of the pipes of the body. We take care of the pipes of the plant! The plant isn't going to have any breakdowns as long as we're working on its arteries. We take care of these pipes exactly the way a doctor takes care of your heart."

The consultant even noticed the stencils on their locker doors said, "Dr." and then the worker's name. (From LAUGH CONNECTIONS, Vol. No. 3 Summer, 1991, P.4)

What was happening here? The workers in that maintenance department believed their work was important - just like a doctor's work is important. They felt privileged doing what they were doing. They felt chosen. It makes a difference in anybody's life if they feel chosen. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are chosen by God to be holy and blameless – and to be His ambassadors! Are you ready?

January 4, 2009