New Year – TGN

The Only Resolution You Need to Make in 2023

Kwesi Sena — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

One of my favourite stories in the Bible is the one about David and Goliath, recorded in 1 Samuel 17. I’m sure every Christian who went through Sunday School has heard it. If not, I will encourage you to set aside 5 minutes to read the whole passage later today. It tells the riveting story of how God delivered his people from the oppression of the Philistines through the courage of a young shepherd boy.

As we begin a New Year and think about goals and resolutions, I believe the story of David in 1 Samuel 17 holds great wisdom and instruction for every Christian. In the story, David never set out to be the hero or deliverer of God’s people. He was sent by his father to deliver food to his brothers who were on the frontline of the battle and bring back word on how they were doing. The brothers were the ones trained for war, who were meant to change the world, so to speak. Yet, it was David who changed the Israelites’ world through God’s power.

When he got to the battlefield, he learnt of this scary giant who was sending shivers down the spine of Israel’s army, from the king to the least of the soldiers. David could not believe how anyone could defy the armies of the living God and not be replied. In his view, Goliath was no match for the Host of Heaven’s army. So, he offered to fight the scary giant one–on–one. David was not even in the reserve army and had never been trained for war. He was but a shepherd boy. You could therefore understand why King Saul was astonished and concerned when he was told a boy had stepped up to accept the challenge of Goliath for a duel. It is David’s response to Saul in 1 Samuel 17:34-37 that I want you to reflect on as you enter the New Year.

“But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” And David said, ‘The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’”

It was a fact that David had never been formally trained for battle, yet as he described the experiences of his mundane life, no one could challenge the fact that this was a youth who had been prepared behind the scenes for a time like this. Fighting bears and lions is usually not a sport for shepherd boys watching over their father’s sheep. There was no audience to applaud his bravery as he fought off these beasts. For him, it was just business as usual as he took the sheep for grazing every day; there was nothing spectacular about it. Little did he know his daily acts of faithfulness would one day serve as a credential for fighting the greatest enemy of his nation. All he did was to be faithful daily to his calling as a shepherd boy, and that is what changed the world.

Like David, we all have different callings. As an individual, I have a calling as a Christian, a husband, a father, a son, a pastor, an employee and a friend. There might be more, but I will limit it to these for illustration purposes. For each of these callings, there is a certain measure of faithfulness God requires of me. Faithfulness as a Christian will mean living under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and leveraging all the means of grace (Scriptures, Prayer, Fellowship, etc.) he has graciously provided to grow into his likeness.

As a husband, faithfulness means to “love my wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” As a father, my calling is “not to provoke my children to anger, but to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” As a son, I’m called to honour my parents in the way I care for them. As a pastor, my calling is to “pay careful attention to myself and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made me an overseer, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” As an employee, faithfulness requires me to “work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from it is from the Lord I will receive the inheritance as my reward.” As a friend, my calling is to be that iron that sharpens another iron, just as a man sharpens another.

There is nothing spectacular about all the things I have described. They seem mundane, and no audience will stand to applaud as we fulfill these callings. Sometimes we will even face opposition, both from within and without. And one thing is sure; you wouldn’t think you are changing the world when you do these mundane tasks. For instance, as you gather your children daily for family worship as a father, you wouldn’t think you’re changing the world, but God can use that act of daily faithfulness to bring your children to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. And I can say for a fact, no earthly accomplishment can compare with the joy of seeing your child come to faith. It is the same with each of the callings we have received from the Lord.

As you begin 2023, I have no doubt there are many goals and objectives you would like to accomplish. I’m sure all of us will make a few resolutions and trust God to help us achieve them. However, like David, I believe we only need one resolution, to resolve by God’s grace to be faithful on a daily basis in whatever calling we have received from him.

Happy New Year!

Ephesians 4:11-13, Ephesians 5:25-28, Ephesians 6:4, Ephesians 6:2, Acts 20:28, Colossians 3:23-24, Proverbs 27:17.

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Your Breakthrough Will Not Be Sudden And Dramatic In 2016!

Kwesi Sena — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 10:20:44 +0000

Prior to entering the year, many churches made declarations about 2016 accompanied by weeks of prayer and fasting. Members of these churches, by the declarations of their leaders are promised breakthroughs and miracles during the year. These declarations and promises are annual rituals. However, often times, the year ends without any of the promises being fulfilled. Towards the end of the year, they are further promised “to hold on for a last minute breakthrough”. In a repetitive cycle, the year ends and begins again with these same promises.

There are many reasons Christians and church attendees fall for these falsehoods. Notable among them is that we all seek an improvement in one area of life or the other. Indeed, the times are hard. If there is the possibility of a sudden breakthrough or miracle that will change our lives, why not?

Unfortunately, many are driven by this quick-fix mentality in our churches. I am sorry to disappoint and burst your bubble. But the truth is that “you will not experience a sudden miracle or breakthrough that will attract global attention in 2016”. In Acts 2:46-47, Luke tells us something uniquely usual about Christianity:

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved

In contrast to a sudden breakthrough and miracle, the Christian life is a day by day experience in the presence of God. We find our joy and excitement in mundane Christian living rather than a sudden unexpected miracle. An ordinary life of obedience in a rebellious world was what drew the attention of the world to the first century church. This was the secret of their power and effectiveness in the then world. They did not gather to amuse themselves through declarations and decrees. Rather, they daily attended to the apostles’ teaching and devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 4:42).

As you journey through 2016, don’t fall for a life that promises sudden breakthroughs and miracles. Resolve by God’s grace to travel the well-trodden path of Christian disciplines.

What do I mean by Christian disciplines? I will expound on three below:

1. Reading of Scripture

This must be obvious for a Christian. But not many give heed to the Bible. God is a communicating God, and he has chosen to reveal Himself and speak to us in a book–the Bible.

Spending time in God’s word is the best way to know Him and what He requires of us. Recently, we did an article, The Resolution Every Christian should Make in 2016, to highlight the importance of consistent bible reading. Nothing can replace the word of God in the life of a believer. Luke’s commendation of the Bereans in Acts 17:11 is a great yardstick to inspire us to reading the word. “…these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so” Note our word again: “daily”. The Bereans searched the scriptures daily. There are no shortcuts when it comes to the Christian life, and more so when it comes to Bible reading.

There are many Christians who elevate the words of their preachers above the bible, but like the Bereans, our sole authority must be the word itself.

2. Consistent Prayers

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).

If there is anything that creates anxiety more than any other, it is a broken promise. It is instructive to note that Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians from jail, and yet the book overflows with joy and excitement. The apostle found his “breakthrough”, not in ‘material blessings’, but in a life of daily consistent prayer. Now, I don’t need to be a prophet to predict that those declarations of breakthroughs and miracles will not happen, because God hasn’t promised any of them.

The result will be disillusioned Christians who might shipwreck their faith, blaming God for failing them yet again. On the contrary, we should walk the path of consistent prayer throughout the year. We should faithfully and trustingly bring all our supplications and requests with thanksgiving to the Sovereign Lord, who works all things in accordance with His will and purpose.

3. Selfless Service to God and His People

We live in a world that teaches us to look out for ourselves, minding our own business. If we must help, we should do so when the timing is right and the conditions are just perfect not forgetting what is in it for us. This is the doctrine of the world; a mind-set that elevates self above any other consideration (all the clamouring for breakthrough is self-centred). It is within this context Jesus calls His followers to a life of servitude– giving up ourselves for one another and thereby proving our discipleship. Jesus, the eternal Son of God cast aside all His ‘Godly’ privileges and took on the form of a man, came into our world and gave Himself as a ransom for many.

In John 13:12-15, Jesus gave us a picture of how this life would look like in service to others. In these verses, He stooped so low as washing the feet of His disciples (the most menial of all tasks) — a bold statement of how service should look like. He did this to show us an example in serving one another. Christ is calling us to a daily life of expending ourselves for others in the church throughout the year.

There are many other Christian disciplines I have not mentioned. But I believe they are central to the Christian walk.

In 2016 don’t fall for the promises of sudden breakthroughs and miracles in your life. The Christian life is a day by day experience and not so dramatic and sudden. We are on a pilgrimage to that celestial city whose founder and builder is God, our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we eagerly await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20).

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