Life is filled with starts and finishes. How we start the day, how we finish the day. How we start the job, how we finish the job. How we start the marriage, how we finish the marriage. There are seasons, times to sow and times to reap, according to Ecclesiastes. The difference maker is how we start and how we finish. Consider Jesus in how we start this new year.
Jesus became a baby in the midst of physical humbleness but with heavenly glory, angels appearing, shepherds responding to the message that a savior has been born, and three kings from the east recognizing the supreme ruler of the universe. He began with the witness of God.
Jesus finished strong by freely laying His life down for mankind in the midst of extreme physical torment and ridicule, but with the witness of the prophetic Word of God. He fulfilled the Scriptures and trusted God to raise Him up. He descended into hell, but the devil had nothing in Him to hold Him, so by the power of the Spirit He was able to take the keys (authority over mankind) from Satan and demonstrate God's triumphant victory over sin, sickness, and death by His resurrection. He finished with the witness of God.
Jesus, who now lives in us by the power of the Holy Spirit, enables us to demonstrate this same triumphant victory in our daily lives. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We can start the day (Psalm 92:2) declaring that by the fresh mercy of God we stand whole and complete in Him. Likewise, at the end of the day, we can finish by acknowledging the faithfulness of God in helping us through the day. Psalm 92:4 continues with the promise "I will triumph in the work of Your hands." All that is needed to walk together with God is to agree with Him (Amos 3:3) in our heart and by our words.
As we began the new year, many people make resolutions and wishful plans; however, the truth is these only prove that we know changes are needed and rarely produce results. God has a better way to start the year that does glorify Him and produce lasting results.
God does honor, according to His Word, two specific resolutions. One is a commitment, that whether we live or die, we aim to be well pleasing to Him (2 Corinthians 5:9). It is a heart desire and a fresh dependence upon the Spirit "to will and to work for His pleasure" as we obey His promptings. In short, to obey what He tells you to do.
Secondly, we commit, as Paul prayed in Philippians 3, to press on to the goal of knowing God, "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." The challenge is to die to fleshly desires of the old man and put on the new man created in His image and holiness. As we allow the Spirit to establish His truth and a greater desire to know Him in our hearts, we can fulfill 2 Corinthians 4:11, "For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." Each situation provides an opportunity to know God and the power of His resurrection as we choose life in obeying His way and put to death our selfish desires of the flesh.
Therefore, how we start the day, start the relationship, start the job, start the year, depends upon our humble attitude. We acknowledge our need to trust and depend upon God to help us walk in the Spirit and to give us strength to obey. Just as Jesus, because of the joy set before Him willingly endured the cross," we purpose to put the joy of knowing Him and pleasing Him greater treasure than doing things our own way.
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