The Pastor’s Heart

 

A New Year means that with the New Year will come Resolutions.  With Resolutions will come the mocking of those Resolutions.  People mock Resolutions because we break them.  Current social thought is that the fact that we break Resolutions should mean; we do not make them.

 

It is instinctive to resolve.  We are made in the image of God.  God continually resolves to do good in spite of the failures of His creation.  We are not flippant when we say, “God is good all of the time, and all of the time God is good”.

 

It is godly to resolve.  Proverbs 24:16: says, The just man falls seven times and rises again; but the wicked fall into mischief (They don’t get up).  7 in the Bible is the number of constancy, suggesting that, to some degree, even the best of us continually fail in what we aspire to do and be.

 

We are not talking about hypocrisy.  We are talking about the normal human struggle for life and self betterment.

 

Churches are strengthened when Christians press on in the face of normal disappointments.  “Someone didn’t speak to me”.  “Someone did not keep a promise”.  “Someone behaved badly.”  “The service was too long for my taste.”

 

Christians are compromised when their sins determine their next actions.  I did not keep my promise, so I cannot show my face.”  The Pastor knows my failure; I am embarrassed to see him.”  I gossiped about Mrs. Busybody and my words turned out to be untrue, she will never forgive me.  “I can’t beat this habit, so I will just quit.”

 

For each of us in some way, we did not always do as we should have done in 2019.  This will be true in 2020 as well.  The question is will you keep getting up when you fall down, are knocked down or when you just, lay down.

 

We have many successes every year.  Yet, the distractions of the world tempt us and some fail.  Either we believe in the value of our church or we do not.  The future of our church always depends on our next good decision, not our last failure.  The church must be fought for as life must be fought for; day by day and in ever decision. 

 

I love you when you fail.  I love you when you sin.  I love you when disappointment and failure makes you want to quit; but you inspire me, when you keep getting up.  I am invigorated by you when you determine to be unstoppable.  I learned many years ago that God is more concerned about the direction you are going than the distance you have traveled.  Join the struggle in the New Year. Rejoin the struggle in the New Year, or just press on in the battle and good will come.

 

Pastor Jeff

Psalm 62:5