Perspective

Roy's Reflections
by Roy Boswell

First I’ll start this article with an all too common story...
Late in the month of December, an elementary school principal said to his teachers,
"Let's all write out our New Year's resolutions about how we can be better teachers, and I'll put them on the staff bulletin board. That way, we can be mutually supportive of our efforts to keep those resolutions."
The teachers agreed that it was a good idea and when the resolutions were posted, they all crowded around the bulletin board to read them. One of the young teachers in the group suddenly went into a fit of anger. "He didn't put up my resolution! It was one of the first ones in. He doesn't care about me. That just shows what it's like around here."
On and on she ranted. The principal overheard all of this from his office down the hall and was mortified. He hadn't meant to exclude her resolution. Quickly rummaging through the papers on his desk, he found it and immediately went to the bulletin board and tacked it up. The resolution read, "I resolve not to let little things bother me anymore."
That school would have been far better off had this woman made a real commitment to her resolution - posted or not. Life is much easier when people don't let the little things bother them and get under their skin.

This is a Biblical principle and it's one we need very much in our homes and in our church. This principle is found in the following places in the Bible. In this article, first ask yourself these few questions and then analyze your answers to these questions that concern this important principle.
1. 2 Timothy 2:25. "Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth."
What is the usual way you respond when you have been wronged?
How will someone who is patient when wronged deal with difficult situations?
Does this teaching make you a doormat? If not, how can you practice it without getting run over by those who don't care?
2. 1 Corinthians 13:4&5. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud .It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."
How do you "take into account a wrong suffered"?
If you incorporate this teaching, how will you deal with wrongs done to you?
3. 1 Peter 4:8. "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."
In what way does this verse mean that love "covers" sin?
Why is love important to this teaching?
4. Proverbs 19:11. "A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense."
Does this mean that you just turn your back and let people get away with sin? What about your responsibility in Matthew 18:15 to go to them in private and tell them their fault?

I’ll conclude this article by using a thought from the Apostle Paul, the church is "fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the working of each individual part." (Ephesians 4:16) You and I make up the "each individual part." Our attitudes as individuals make up the ultimate attitude of our entire church. Our willingness (or reluctance) to not let the little things bother us makes our church either a great thing or something less than desirable. Let's be sure we are committed to not letting a little thing bother us.

For most people in the world, New Year's is a time of not just great celebrations but especially of great expectations that the coming year will finally bring them the success, the recognition, the wealth, or the power they have always sought. No matter how well the past year has gone, hope springs eternal that the coming year will be even more successful. And for those whose past year has not gone well at all, there is even greater expectation and hope that the coming year just has to go better. (In some cases it would be hard to believe that it could go worse).

It’s not a lot different for many of us Christians. Whether we consider temporal things or spiritual things, how many of us can say at the end of one year, that we have accomplished what we had hoped for in either of these categories? Hadn’t we planned to accomplish good things, go places, and get ahead spiritually? Hadn’t we planned, and maybe even made resolutions to grow in our spiritual lives into what we knew were directions that would be more pleasing to the Lord, and more of a blessing to all of the brethren, not to mention a better witness to the world around us? And yet, as we reviewed our spiritual growth at year's end, how often we have found little if any growth, and in some cases, we wonder if we haven’t instead slid backwards into less spirituality.

Our relationship with the Lord is a special one. He has called us to a particular high calling in heaven (Phil. 3:14), separated from even the good things of the earth. And of the number called, even far fewer are chosen. He has made it clear that the path the world takes cannot achieve the chosen end. In fact, we must separate ourselves from the world and its ways if we wish to receive the fulfillment of our heavenly hopes. Though we are in the world for our development here on earth, we are not to pursue after, nor cling to the things and joys of the world. (Matt. 6:33) A profitable year for the Christian is in pursuing the high calling, and not the things of the earth.

There are many things we can practically do to draw us closer to God, and separate us more from the world. We must be aware that each alone is ultimately responsible for being conformed to Christ or not. God, through the scriptures, promises to provide all the instruction and helps necessary for us to achieve this goal, but it is up to us to agree to use his instructions and his helps. God will not force anything on us; not even his best will for our good. He wants each of us to freely choose to do his will or not, and thus he leaves us with the ability and responsibility to choose, (sometimes called free will), whether we want it or not. (Ability is having the will to choose. Responsibility is the proper (Godly) response-to-the-ability).

There are times when many of us wish we did not have this responsibility. We may even pray that God force us to do his will in one or more areas, but it will never happen. Our responsibility to choose will remain with us throughout our eternal existence. This is the main reason the way to the high calling is so difficult to find, and so narrow to follow. The “gate” is through Christ, and the “way” is the way He walked in submission to God, and sacrifice of His own will. There can be no test or development left undone. There can be no corner of a heart that is not fully conformed to the will of God. Then when the chosen ones have put on immortality there will be no doubt remaining that they will eternally choose the will of God, as it will then be their own will by their own choice.

Such a calling and such a reward leave no room for the unfaithful to pass through, no room for those who insist on keeping a portion of their heart for the world, or even for their family or friends. All who seek such are not worthy of the Kingdom of God, and they will not attain it. “Friendship with the world is enmity with God”. But all who see the kingdom of God are assured of achieving it, if they but do God’s will. (Ro 8:28-39, 2 pet 1:3-11).

The Constant Perspective:
1. The most practical advice for achieving the will of God in one's life, and growing in that purpose by year's end, is to fall in love with God and with his son, and with their will and word. To be in love with them is certain to bring success, because it will produce a life devoted to their will. Every other path is fraught with doubt, but still worth pursuing in expectation of achieving the love of God that brings success. Make a resolution, a commitment to seek to fall in love with God and with Christ. Don’t worry that this seems impossible now. It is the only sure way of success, and ultimately it must be attained. It therefore needs to be the number one priority in our goal setting, even if it now seems far from us. (1 Jn 5:2-4).
2. Keep an awareness that we are children of God and not of the world. We need to obey God, and not the world and its interests. We need to daily remember that we represent God and are an ambassador for him to the world. We need to daily remember that we are to be a light on a hill. Let our light shine that men may see our good works and glorify our father in heaven.

The Past:
The past is gone! Accept it; learn from it, (the blessings, the failures, and the sadnesses); and then move on. Lingering unnecessarily over any of the past limits our walk in the future. The main elements of the past to keep in record for recall when our faith is strained are the “Ebenezers”. These are the great victories of the past where our faith was strong in overcoming great obstacles. These remembrances alone from the past should be brought to bear to strengthen us to continue on if our faith weakens in the present. The past is cast in concrete and cannot be changed. Constantly reviewing our past sins only causes us to question if they have really been forgiven and that is questioning not only our faith, but also the love of God.

The Present:
1. The present is now. Accept it; and make full use of it. Remember the old adage; “Of all the words of tongue or pen, the saddest are “It might have been.”
“I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day.” Jn 9:4.
“The night cometh when no man can work.” Jn 9:4
“Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you.” Jn 12:35
2. Only in the present are all the opportunities, both to good and to evil. We should look forward to these cautiously that we not enter the evil opportunities unawares. We should look forward to these in spirit that we choose what the Lord specially wants us to do. We should look forward to these in faith and zeal that we eagerly enter fully into the opportunities or providences that the Lord has for us.
3. Worry does no good!
“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.” Ps 55:22
“Which of you by taking thought, can add one cubit unto his stature?”

The Future:
Tomorrow is future. Leave it there!
“Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” Prov 27:1
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Mat 6:34
“Ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” Js 4:15.

May this year be our most profitable year ever in the Lord………For God’s greatest glory!

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22.23 NRSV
   One of the most encouraging things about a New Year is the word "new".  It speaks to me as a time of fresh beginnings, a time when I can put behind me all my failures, my broken resolves, and unkept promises and start all over again.  With the starting of a new year, I remind myself that the Lord's love does endure forever, it will never disappear no matter what I do or how I perform.  His mercies toward me will never end; they are new every morning. I plan to start each day of this New Year with that in mind. I don't need to wait until another year rolls around to start again because each day is a new beginning and God's mercy is there for me to try again! God, in His infinite love and wisdom, has given me a new beginning today.  God loves me despite the ways in which I have let Him down in the past.  His love for me is not dependent upon my performance.  What a relief that is! It is my heart's desire to serve Him with all my heart, my entire mind and all my soul! I don't always succeed at that task and sometimes it just seems like such an impossible accomplishment. There are so many distractions that pull me away from Him, but I will not stop trying to succeed because my desire is to give my all to my Father.  I am thankful that when I fail, His mercy allows me to try again.  How grateful I am that my Father in Heaven is full of mercy and showers me with His grace!  He is the God of new beginnings.  I can never fully express what I feel for Him, but I want to thank Him from the bottom of my heart for His steadfast love. I am filled with awe at such a love; a love which never ceases, a love which overflows with mercies that never come to an end, and a love that is always faithful to me.  As each day of this New Year unfolds, may the realization of how great His love and mercy are for us truly spur us on to serve Him with our whole hearts.