The bread has been passed; the cup is in your hand as you sit with head bowed on the Lord's Day. You contemplate the significance of being around the Lord's Table. Images of your Lord, crucified and beaten, seared into your mind come to your thoughts as you remember the high cost of your sin and forgiveness. Having all you could bear, you quickly move on the the triumphant, resurrected Christ, ascended and sitting on the Father's right hand. Then the lump in your throat, heartbroken because of Calvary, turns jubilantly to hope as you remember His promised return to take you home with Him one day; maybe today!
Now the hard part: "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup." Such discernment is the most difficult of tests. Jesus is a painful measuring stick when you compare yourself to Him. Guilt seems to overwhelm. You know God is full of grace, but he certainly deserves more than you gave Him this last week. "I can do better," you exclaim to yourself, "I will do better!" You become resolute. "I will do more of..." "I will stop doing..." You are on fire for Jesus! Your life is going to change. You are going to stop fooling around and start living the life God want you to have. You pray to God: "Lord, I am confessing these sins and turning them over to you. Help me be what I ought to be." You go home from church with a renewed vigor about your new course. That night, as you lay in bed, you can hardly sleep; your mind races with all the changes you are going to make, and you drift off to sleep.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Ugghh, is it six o'clock already? Why can we work for two days and have five off, instead of the other way around? You drag yourself around the house getting ready and now you are late. You rush out the door and its freezing; Hop in the car and you're off. Getting on the road someone has the nerve to go the speed limit when you are late. Then you get cut off merging on the highway. Boy you have got a few choice words for that guys, and he for you. You rush into work; late again. You can see by the look on your boss's face, he's none too happy! You grouch at your coworkers and then at lunch you end up engaging in the latest gossip. Wow, are those people messed up! You spend the afternoon at work doing anything but; you surf the internet looking up the latest...well, um...stuff, and emailing your friends. On your way out, you stop by the company mail room to pick up a roll of stamps because you have to pay your bills and off you go; after all, it's a quarter to five; close enough.
Like a New Year's resolution on January 2, your rededication to a new life in Christ is all but a memory. Next Sunday, you find yourself in the same place you were last week. What happened between the Lord's Table and the church door? Like so many good intentions that certain roads are paved with, they have gotten you nowhere.
Has this every happened to you? Sure has to me. They say that admitting you have a problem is the first step, but we sure could use the other steps about now. Confession at communion is a great first step, but if we don't have an action plan, we are doomed to repeat and repeat that first step each week. Praying for God's help is a good thing, but God will not act in your life without you; He will act through you.
The mistake we make is thinking that by supernatural will power everything will be different. Your will comes in to play only when you are making the decision. After that you have to do some changing. Sometimes we think that we can simply quit our "little bad habits" (a.k.a. sin), but in reality we must make some changes. If you want 2008 to be different than 2007, or the previous decade, then let me share with you a simple, yet practical and effective, plan from God's word that will have Him open His floodgates on you with showers of blessings.
1. Change your thinking. (repentance) Set your mind on things above.
Colossians 3:1-2 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Be mindful of things above, not on things on the earth."
This shifts your frame of reference. We act worldly, because we think worldly and dwell on worldly things. Need help on what to think about?
Philippians 4:8 Finally, my brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are right, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think on these things.
Accentuate the positive; eliminate the negative.
2. Change your way of speaking. (profession) Our tongue can be like spark to kindling; be careful with it!
Colossians 3:8 But now also put off all these things: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, shameful speech out of your mouth.
Colossians 4:6 Let your speech be always with grace, having been seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
And take this great wisdom from James 1:19
Therefore, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
God did give you two ears and one mouth for a reason.
3. Change your behavior. (Action) Get out of your harmful routines and start some new positive habits.
1John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light,
If you continue walking in the dark you will stumble.
Romans 6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father; even so we also should walk in newness of life.
If you walk in the same old places, you will never change for the better. Our new walk is not automatic, it is a prescription. Don't go to that place, read that book, watch that show, surf that website, hang out with those people, eat that doughnut (sorry, that was for me). Do something else. Stay away and make a new routine.
For most of you this is not a groundbreaking revelation; you have heard it before. But how is your plan working? See if God's floodgates don't open for you if you try it His way for a change.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. -Ben Franklin
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