Guiding Thoughts for 2007

In the last week, the Lord has led me to two ideas that I have been pondering ever since. I believe these two ideas may define this new year as our lives undergo radical transition.

The first comes from the sermon I heard yesterday at the Atlanta Vineyard Church and was quoted by guest speaker Larry Tomczak:

"In one year you will be the same person you are today except for two things: the people you meet and the books you read."

Based on my experience, this is very true to life. And what is so exciting for us is that we are moving to a place where we know very few people so we will be meeting lots of new friends. And I will be reading dozens of new books to expand my understanding of God and ministry. Sounds like a powerful formula for transformation.

The second idea comes from Brother Lawrence, a monk who lived in the 18th century, in a book of his compiled writings called "The Practice of the Presence of God."

"In the spirit-life not to advance is to fall back."

This is a powerful truth that has really helped my crystallize my thoughts on spiritual growth. I have experienced this truth in powerful ways, both for good and bad. As an infant Christian, I took my Bible into church on Sunday and then tossed it in the back seat of the car on way home. It sat there until the next Sunday. There were seasons when going to church was not on my priority list. In those seasons, I did not advance. But I thought deep down that I would remain where I was in my walk with the Lord. But when I returned to our Father's loving arms, I would find that I had fallen back - often almost to the beginning of my walk.

The reason this truth pierced my heart is that I know many people who claim to believe in Christ but do not take those outward actions to worship, serve or spend time with Him. It has always bothered me. I wondered if I was being legalistic, a modern day Pharisee. God's word says He looks inward at man's heart not His outward actions. So I prayed to him early in December and asked why such outward acts were so important to me. Then I read Brother Lawrence's book. And it helped me understand. My fear for those who know Jesus but are not advancing is not that they will lose the promise of Heaven, but that they will miss the rich grace and love found from growing in relationship with our God.

So, its 2007. A new year. A clean slate. My prayer for myself and for those I know and love is that it would be a year of transformation - of new friends and mentors, of books that stretch our understanding of Jesus Christ and our response to His love, and of advancement in our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

May God bless us in this New Year and use us for His purposes.