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A New Year’s note from your friend – A.B. Simpson

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imageA NEW YEAR’S GREETING FROM YOUR FRIEND, A. B. SIMPSON

In the name of the Lord, we wish for all to whom these words may come a happy New Year. In order that it may be so, let it be:

 

A year with Jesus. Let us seek its plan and direction from Him. Let us look to Him for our desire, ideals, expectations in it. Then shall it bring to us exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think. Let Him also be the sufficiency and strength of all the year. Let us not merely try to obey Christ or imitate Christ. Let us have Christ Himself in us to do the works, and let us every moment fall back on Him both to will and do in us of His good pleasure. And let our service be not our works, but the grace of Christ with us.

 

A year of self-forgetting ministry for Christ and others. Let us not drag our burdens through the year, but drop all our loads of care and be free to carry His yoke and His burden. Let us make the happy exchange, giving ours and taking His. So shall we lose our heaviest load—ourselves—and so shall we find our highest joy, divine love, the more blessed “to give” rather “than to receive.” Let us do good to all men as we have opportunity, let us lose no opportunity of blessing. Especially let us seek to win souls, and may 1886 [2015] be the harvest year of our lives.

 

A year of prayer. Let us learn the meaning of the ministry of prayer. Let us reach persons this year we cannot reach in person; let us expect results that we have never dared to claim before; let us count every difficulty only a greater occasion for prayer, and let us call on God for great and mighty things which we know not, and may the most glorious reminiscences of next New Year’s Eve be the wonders of answered prayer.

 

A year of joy and praise. Let us live in the promises of God and the outlook of His deliverance and blessing. Let us never dwell on the trial, but always on the victory just before. Let us not dwell in the tomb, but in the garden of Joseph and the light of the resurrection. Let us keep our faces toward the sun rising. In everything give thanks. Praise ye the Lord.

 

A year to forget the things that are behind and reach out unto those that are before. God has “a new thing” for us in 1886 [2015]. Let it be a year of deeper, wider, higher, diviner things. Let us hold fast that which we have attained, but go out also to “the regions beyond,” and arise and possess the length and breadth of the land which the Lord our God does give to us.

Yours in Him,

A.B. Simpson

(Excerpts reprinted from a personal letter to friends and acquaintances, January 1886—equally relevant for 2015.)

 

 

The first page of your new year

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Today is the first page of a 365 page story, the story of your life in 2015.

 

 

Maybe you have some idea of what you want to be part of this year’s story. You have hopes and dreams for what you will accomplish. Likely, there will be surprises that will suddenly appear on your pages. But even when the pages turn unexpectedly, you remain in control of what is written on them. How you respond to life determines your story more than the actual events that transpire. So how will you write this year of your life?

 

You could just wait and see what happens, live life as it comes to you. Que será, será. Put life on autopilot and see where it takes you. Let the spinning wheel spin and see where it stops. It’s easy to get caught up on the merry-go-round, distracted by all the lights and music. Before you know it, a day, a week, a month, a year, a life has passed…without purpose.

 

You could take charge, set your goals, plan extensively, and live with great focus. I tend to be a goal-setter and planner so I suppose I easily fall into this category. I tend to think it is good to ‘count the costs’ and plan well. In the parable of the talents, Jesus praised those who invested well. We too should invest our time well and also our other resources. But sometimes, the best of plans have to be set aside and new strategies adopted. You had intended to write one thing in your book of life, but life itself changes the direction of the next page and chapter.

 

There is a third, more profitable way to write the story of 2015 and that is to devote the year, all of it, to the glory and honor of God. “Whatever you do, do it as unto The Lord” for His purpose and His glory. (Colossians 3:23). “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) “My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14)

 

God delights in you and He wants to show you the way to go in this new year. He longs for your joy. Shouldn’t your story be all about Him? How do you do that? Make sure each page of 2015 be filled with three things:

 

Rejoicing – God is good. He will always be with you.
Praying – Talk with God throughout the day. Spend some time listening.
Giving thanks – Find reason to give thank every single day.

 

Write a great story in 2015!  Fill your pages with these things and enjoy a wonderful new year!

 

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

 

 

All things

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“Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to jump tall buildings in a single bound, this is a call for SUPER-CHRISTIAN! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”

 

If this is your interpretation of Philippians 4:13, read on for another view.

 

The power of Jesus in the hearts of His believers is indeed an awesome thing, but is leaping over tall buildings or tall problems what this verse really is about? Let’s look at the context of this famous verse find the heart of the message.

 

Paul writes from his prison cell to the church at Philippi. He is telling them what we all need to practice: Rejoice in the Lord always. Be gentle to everyone. Don’t be anxious. Pray. Be thankful. Talk to God. Let God’s peace guard your heart. Think about noble and pure things. Live the way you have been taught.  (Philippians 4:4-9) And then he shares: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” And because of this he concludes: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (v 11-13)

 

Rather than being a ‘superhero’, Paul is sharing a much deeper and resilient truth about enduring struggles. It is the truth of the contented heart, the heart that chooses peace over anxiety, joy in the face of sorrow, purity when surrounded by corruption, gentleness in a harsh world, thanksgiving instead of bitterness, prayer before action.  Paul’s not rejoicing because his circumstances suddenly improved. He rejoices in learning the secret of being content in trusting God in all things. It is the spring of that refreshes us and protects us from the sorrow of discontent.

 

Perhaps the power of contentedness is not so much in ‘doing’ but in ‘being able’ to endure all things. Content in trusting His perfect will and His overcoming power, we can endure cancer, lose our job, suffer financial difficulty, be rejected by others…the list goes on to include “all things, in Christ who strengthens me.”

 

The power of “I can do all things in Christ” is not what we can do by flexing our muscles or working harder. It is not about us victoriously achieving our own dreams and ambitions.  It is about humbling ourselves before God, trusting Him to accomplish HIS plan salvation, trusting what Christ already has done and will continue to do in and through me for HIS perfect purpose. It comes from learning the secret of being content, trusting in Jesus.

 

What do you need to be content? Maybe, like Paul, you feel like you’re in a prison. Can you find a contented trust there? Let God speak to your heart and discover His ‘secret’ power for living content and victorious…through all things.