NEW YEAR: TIME TO REVIEW AND RENEW

January 3, 2010

By Rev. Dr. Larry Delano Coleman

“NEW YEAR: TIME TO REVIEW AND RENEW


It is a new year, 2010. “What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?” Psalm 116:12.

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There is, intrinsically, a renewed sense of wonder and expectation; of hope and possibility. We all feel it, because we are all witnesses, of this day, of this hour, of this moment, something we, nor anyone else, have ever before seen or experienced, Isa. 40:5: “King James Bible
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”

To the perceptive, however, more is at issue than the temporality of time: the flip of the calendar, the beat of a clock, changing from day to night. Many sense something imperceptible, and feel constrained, outwardly, to acknowledge this intuitive sensation of renewal. For that reason, New Year’s resolutions are formulated, articulated, and, as readily, discarded.

While we all share this space and time, our souls sense and seek eternity. Thus, we are one and the same, yet separate and apart. Our uniqueness necessarily differentiates one from another. Thus, in order for true renewal to take place, one must begin by reviewing, within the peculiar compass of one’s own uniqueness, what constitutes, and makes you, you.

Naturally, this requires a self-assessment, and, of course, measured against the ideal, against perfection, against God, we will all be found wanting. Notwithstanding, spiritual impulsion pushes us onward. King James Bible “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Phill.3:14. It appears that we really can’t help ourselves. It’s in our wiring, our make up, our being. As salmon must return to their place of birth, in order to spawn and to die; as the swallows must return to Capistrano; so, is there an inveterate urge within mankind to resume its oneness with its source, God, who is best worshipped in spirit and in truth.

Where we fall short, and, we all do, the New Year’s resolutions seek to repair, restore, and to remediate our faults. Examining one’s self, beyond the level of the superficial, is essential. King James Bible “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 2 Cor. 13:5. “But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.” Gal. 6:4

Examining one’s self is reviewing one’s habits, practices, thoughts, and actions, both voluntary and involuntary, to determine their origin, motivation and probity; to determine the extent to which they conform to God’s plan for you, and only you. Romans 12:1-2 says: “1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Simply put: in order to renew one’s self, one must, first, review one’s self.

The compulsion to “conform to this world” is usually all-powerful and unrelenting, occasionally gratifying. Whereas the tendency to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind,” is tenuous, tentative, occasionally terrifying. Going with the flow is easier than going against the flow. Thus, obedience to the law of man is better, in the short term, than obedience to the law of God. This is especially true where man’s law and natural law or God’s law differ, or conflict. The two, man’s law, and God’s law, are rarely coextensive, much less homologous.

We find the following in Joshua 24:15 (English Standard Version):
15(A) And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD,(B) choose this day whom you will serve, whether(C) the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or(D) the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.(E) But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

By “natural law” is meant the manifestation of that dynamic principle, which we know and experience as “God,” which creates, enables, and unifies: man, the heavens, and the earth, from the infinite to the infinitesimal, ephemerally and in perpetuity. This law is both, immanent, within man, and extrinsic, outside man, at once, and is operative always.

We access and apply this natural law through “faith.” Heb. 1:1, 6: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently search for him.” A little bit of faith goes a long way: The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you!” Luke 17:6. “And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” Faith in oneself is faith in God. No faith in oneself is no faith in God. Little faith in oneself is little faith in God. 2 Cor. 3:18: “But we all, with unveiled face reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.”

Returning, now, to the theme of “review and renew,” it must be recalled: "Why are you so angry?" the LORD asked Cain. "Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master." Gen. 4:6-7.

Jesus put this another way as a proof against sin: “Be you therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matt. 5:48

Abel, it would appear, had “brought of the firstling of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell.” Gen.4: 4-5. Cain, on the other hand, “brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.” Gen.4:3. The difference would appear to be that Cain brought neither “of the firstling” of the fruit of the ground, nor “of the fat” thereof, unto the Lord for his offering, like Abel.

Abel’s offering required more effort than Cain’s. Cain essentially picked some collared greens, tomatoes, and okra, whether they were first or last fruits, offered it to God, and called it a day. Abel, on the other hand, slew some of the firstlings of his flock, and reduced some to fat, so he could “offer sacrifices of sweet savours unto the God of heaven.” Ezra 6:10. Cain, of the fruit of the earth, could have offered “cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried.” Lev.7:12. But, he did not render. He did the minimum, less than his best, got mad, then killed Abel, his brother, after Cain and his offering were rejected by God as unacceptable.

“What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?” Psalm 116:12. I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD. Psalm 116:17.

Doing less than one’s best, e.g., “what is right” is sin, as the example of Cain and Abel attests. Another example of sin is to be found in the parable of the talents, the sin of disobedience. Matthew 25:29-30: “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Throw this useless servant into the outer darkness! In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

Yet, another sin is to be found in being neglectful in matters entrusted to one’s stewardship. Luke 16: 10: "If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities.”

Just as a baseball player must hit the ball before it crosses home plate in order to drive it, so, must one charged with a task be diligent, be proactive, and not be slothful in order to be blessed.

The parable of the ten virgins is apt. Five wise virgins took lamps with extra oil. Five foolish virgins took lamps without extra oil. All ten awaited the coming of the bridegroom to the wedding. Until the bridegroom came, they all, even the foolish virgins without oil, “slumbered and slept.” Matt.25:5. When the bridegroom arrived at midnight, the lamps of those without oil were about to go out. The wise virgins would not share their oil, because there may not have been enough oil for them and for the foolish virgins, who were unprepared and who had squandered the opportunity to prepare, by purchasing oil, while they “slumbered and slept.” So, the door was shut in the face of the foolish virgins, while the wise ones went in unto the marriage. “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Matt.25:13.

After one’s review, when one has frankly discerned and confessed one’s faults, and prayed for strength to overcome them, one is then ready to renew oneself, to improve oneself. “Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. For your lovingkindness is before mine eyes, and I have walked in your truth.” Psalm 26: 2-3. Sometimes, these tests, trials, and tribulations can last for years, for decades, before one is ready or able to discern them, to confess them, and to pray for improvement of them. Mark 9: 49-50: "For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

There is a reward for the righteous. “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” Rev. 2:7.

Proof and reproof are part and parcel of the divine cycle. So, also, is the need to review and renew. Isaiah 40:30-31, “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but(A) they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings(B) like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Amen.