New Beginnings

Do you get excited about new challenges?

New beginnings are full of so much potential … a new job, new friendships, a new semester, a new home and neighborhood, a new project or hobby to tackle. New beginnings offer us a fresh start and possibilities for something different and exciting.  It’s an opportunity for change, growth, learning and moving on from what was to what can be. New beginnings push us to leave the past behind and look forward to what’s ahead. It’s a chance to start with a clean slate and plot a different course … or at least purpose to find a better way to navigate a particularly difficult challenge that remains. And what better time to think of new beginnings than now, just days before our New Year starts!

The apostle Paul had something helpful to say about new beginnings. He realized the danger of looking back and getting stuck in the rut of regret. He also recognized how crippling a focus on past successes could become.  The apostle knew there was a better way and he wanted the saints in Philippi to know as well:

“Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:13-14).”  

Wow! Do you sense the intensity in how Paul tackled life? He speaks of “straining forward” and “pressing on” toward a specific goal. This seasoned servant of God did not waste precious time aimlessly drifting through life. On the contrary, Paul was a man on a mission. He was intentional, purposeful and unswerving in his pursuit of God and all he was called to. He was after a prize that was worth his time, effort and energy. Earlier in the epistle, the apostle makes clear what his life pursuit is:

“I want to know Christ … (Phil. 3:10)”

In fact, he considers any other pursuit “a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus” his Lord (v.8). This was Paul’s passion … to personally know and experience Jesus in every way and to continue growing in greater understanding of and devotion to his Lord. This is what he lived for. This is the goal that Paul strained and pressed on toward.

What if this were our goal for the coming year? What if we woke up every morning asking to know Jesus more deeply and intimately as He really is? What if we took time to consider and plan how we would be intentional and purposeful about pursuing Him each day? What would it take to grow in knowing Him more? And what if we actually followed through with our plan, leaning on the Lord for His grace and help? What difference would a continuous passionate pursuit to know Christ make in our lives? What difference would that make in our marriages, our parenting, the way we work, how we relate to others, how we spend our time and money, how we respond to difficulty and hardship? What difference would this pursuit make in the world around us with lost friends and neighbors?

Did you ever stop to think of how it was possible for Jesus to fulfill His earthly ministry without wavering and how He was able to bring His Father such glory through it all? I was actually thinking about this Christmas morning before the busyness started.  It’s hard to wrap my mind around how Christ willingly left all He had in heaven in order to come down to His broken, sinful and corrupt creation and choose to live among us … and to be with us.  And then to think of all the mistreatment, animosity, agony and evil He willingly endured in His humanity is mind-boggling. How was Christ able to do what He did … and to carry out the rescue mission of mankind in a way that brought His Father such great glory?

The gospel account of Christ’s baptism came to mind. As Jesus came up out of the water the Father announced, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased (Mt. 3:17).”  God’s declaration of His love, pleasure, and identify with His Son spoke volumes of the relationship Jesus enjoyed with HIm from eternity past. In John’s gospel, Jesus proclaims, “but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father (Jn. 14:31).” There’s was a mutual love relationship that displayed the oneness they possessed. Christ was so secure in that perfect love that He was able to trust His Father to do whatever was needed, no matter what the cost. This love defied any fear, confusion or doubt. It enabled Christ to willingly submit to Calvary to do the Father’s will.

Can you imagine the power of knowing that kind of love? What difference would it make if those of us who belong to Christ really believed we were loved that deeply? How would it change the way we think, feel and behave? And what if we loved God to the extent that we were willing to submit to His will for our lives, no matter what that entailed?

What if we asked God for that kind of love toward Him? And what if we asked to continually grow in greater understanding of the depth of His love for us? We would be asking for the same thing the apostle Paul was pursuing! Knowing His love is to know Him. Wouldn’t this be a wonderful goal to press toward for the coming year? This could be a wonderful new beginning for 2018!