For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 NIV
God has a work for each one of us to do in 2019. This post is based on a message shared by Pastor Brent Galbreath at Calvary Hill Church on December 30, 2018, and it outlines 3 decisions we need to make to ensure we run the race well this upcoming year. I encourage you to listen to his sermon here, and scrolling down to Running Well in 2019.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV
Paul said that he is in training to compete and to win. Every day of your life you are training to win battles that will come your way the next day and the next day and the next day. It’s our job to train to win! In 2019, if you are going to be any further along than you are right now, you have to choose now to make the right decisions.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14 NIV
Some of you need to forget what happened in 2018. Learn from the mistakes you’ve made, but don’t let them destroy you! Don’t let them define who you are; 2018 is over and God is waiting for you in 2019. Paul talks about straining toward what’s ahead because it’s tough to grow! But as Paul says, we need to press on! Becoming all God wants us to be in 2019 involves daily discipline. Every day we need to press on to win.
Three decisions you must make to run the race well in 2019:
Decision #1. I will not lie to myself even when the truth makes me feel bad about myself.
We lie to ourselves on a regular basis because many times there are things about ourselves we don’t want to face, but the truth is, there are worse things than feeling bad about ourselves. We need to see the truth so we can strive to become better. Though we don’t let our mistakes define us, it’s okay to feel bad about those things we need to change, so that later on, once we make the right changes, we will be better because of it. It’s far worse to hang onto what’s bad about ourselves and make the same mistakes over and over.
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17:9-10 NIV
Jeremiah was prophesying to his country, who had walked away from God. They thought they were okay, but their hearts where deceiving them. Do not lie to yourself, even when the truth makes you feel bad about yourself. The easiest person to deceive is yourself.
Decision #2. I will prioritize what I want most over what I want now.
So few people are able to achieve this. It’s hard and it takes discipline. We tend to want what we want right now and we are told we can have what we want because we are American, and it is our right, and our freedom! Burger King coined it, “Have it your way!” But we need to make sure we are working towards what we value most, not what we want now, because what we want now is rarely what we value most. As Christians, we must take on and value what Christ values.
Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.“ John 13:34-35 NIV
If you want to take on the values of Christ you must love others. Jesus says that people will know we are his by how much we care about other people. When we love others, it raises the bar, everything goes to another level.
Decision #3. I will not attempt to lead myself, by myself.
We need to surround ourselves with the right people. Our greatest regrets often involve people and friends we wish we had never met. We need friends who not only share our interests but also share our values. It’s not enough to do life with people we like because our friends help shape our lives. The people around you every day help determine the direction of your life. If the same people continue to take you down the same path, you may need to make a shift in friendships in 2019. We need people around us who lovingly push us. We need to be in community with people who tell us the honest truth because they value who we are.
In 2019, everyone of us will end up some where. The question is, will we end up there on purpose? Will we end up where we wanted to go? We must make the tough decisions as we move into 2019. We owe it to ourselves to lead ourselves well.