“because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His
sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin”
Romans 3:20
It’s New Years’ time again. Once again
we must face the dichotomy of reflecting on the past year while at the same
time anticipating what the next one will bring. I love the Christmas season,
but I must admit that New Years is not a holiday that I have ever particularly
cared for.
I have never liked the reflecting I had
to do over the year that I had just finished. I am always confronted by all the
things I vowed would be different when the year started, only to find myself
having failed to be what I had decided I ought to be. I make New Years’
resolutions, and I break them. It is never difficult for me to see the times where
my life had been less than faithful, seeming always to let external
circumstances dictate my emotions and my hopes.
Time after time in 2012 I failed to be disciplined in my walk with God,
lacked compassion for those who need it, and neglected to love the Lord who
created and redeemed me. I am not who I should be, and another year passing
only gives me another occasion to be humbled before this disappointing truth.
Yet, when we look at the approaching
year, we are still drawn to our resolutions. We want to change. We hope our
lives will be better; that we will have a better character, and that we will be
respected by those around us. We make laws for ourselves that we think will get
us there, only to find that a year later we have broken them. This year, rather
than despair over the law I have broken and for not becoming what I should have
become, I will choose to allow the real purpose of law have its affect on me. I
will not become righteous by observing the law, either Moses’ law or the law
that I create. I am by nature a lawbreaker. Rather, through the law I will
become conscious of sin; and, consequently, my need for a Savior.
It is the gospel that changes us, and New Year’s is
a holiday where we particularly need to reflect on this truth. Looking back on
our past years’ disappointments, we need the gospel to show us that God doesn’t
love us based on how well we performed. Our righteousness comes from Jesus and not
from keeping New Year’s resolutions, which is a good thing because you probably
won’t keep them. In the same way, our hopes from the upcoming year should not
be focused on making ourselves better people in our own strength but on how God
might be loved stronger and truer. The affections that come from a relationship
with our Creator are what need to be cultivated. Seek ye first the Kingdom of
God, and all the other stuff will work out just fine for you.
You have been a sinner this past year, but do not
let this keep you from rejoicing. For, where sin abounds, grace abounds all the
more. You have been adopted into the family of God and bought with a price paid
by the Lord Himself. Nothing could take you from His hand, not in 2012 nor in
the year to come.
