New Year Physically and Spiritually

     As we begin into 2011 many times people come up with New Year's resolutions that they want to try and fulfill and things that they want to succeed in. Most times people don't set a goal for themselves that they don't want to achieve, and if someone did, well that would be completely foolishness. Many times as well though, we get to mid January and then the goal just goes right out the window. I'm not here to tell you to get a New Year's goal or to tell you to try and grow with Christ this coming year, although both of these things are something that would be worth your time, but instead I am here to take this part of the year and compare it to the Bible. When someone comes to know Christ they can't just stop there. They must continue to nourish themselves with Christs everlasting water, and the must equip themselves with the tools to survive the battle that Christians go through everyday. The new year and the fresh start that is many times associated with it goes along represents a new Christan in many ways. The uncertainty of what is to come, the want to go after a new passion and succeed, these things are the same in both cases. The best way that I could discribe this would be Jesus's own words when he was here on earth. This comes from Matthew 3.

"3A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the see, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop-a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9He who has ears let him hear."

     I really don't think that you could describe it any better than that. I won't type out exactly what Jesus said when he was explaining it to his followers but I will just summarize it. Here is the twist though, I am going to do it as it applies to this idea of new year's resolution and accepting Christ. Those who fall upon the path obviously don't except Christ when the hear about him and they are the ones that decide that a new year's resolution with a fresh start is pointless, and that having new life is just not worth it. Those who spring up quickly are those who mean well but just don't have the spiritual backing to keep growing. Their zest runs out within a few weeks of the new year. They are scorched as the trials come and not everything is as easy as the person in the front of the church made it out to be, but don't get me started on that because it could be an entire post of it's own. Those that fall along the thorns are those that get started and make it past the first hard aches but have no one for the second time of trial, or they just find the old way easier. These are the people that in the New Year's resolution may make it the first couple of months but see everyone else dropping their resolutions and by that influence they decide to do the same. The one's that fall upon the good soil are those that except Christ and run hard after him. These are the people that make their resolution a reality not just for one year but for the many years to come.
     I think these are the four main people that you have in life, those who don't care, those who are easily influenced to fall away, those who see everyone else dropping out and the decide it is not worth it, and finally those who decide to stick it out to the end. Of course their are probably people that are in between these but most people can be put into one of these four categories. However, the good news is that unlike the seeds, we as humans have the option and the freedom to chose are destiny, and to be able to chose how badly we want to grow and flourish. It is a new year for you physically and so now you have the option if you want to start and new year spiritually, or maybe you want to change where you fall. You never know when he will come back, as the Bible tells us that he will come like a thief in the night, and now could never be too late. It is all up to you to decide your own destiny, I just hope that you won't regret the decision that you make, because once our God comes back you will not be able to change where your seed is growing.