Life is full of challenges.  Life has some victories.

This year has been filled with beautiful times and difficult times - times of heart throbbing joy, and for some of us, times of heart wrenching pain.

Have you ever been imprisoned by your own worldliness and your own sinfulness?  I have.  However, through repentance, we can experience God’s abounding grace and love, and the unconditional mercy of Jesus.

There are times when we may want to fast-forward our lives so that we do not have to deal with certain issues.  At other times we may desire to press the rewind button to relive yesterday’s Blessings and yesterday’s victories.  However, because we can’t do these things, I would like to talk about three things that I call reminders.  They will help us reflect on our commitment to the Lord.

The Bible says, “You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance.”  (Ps. 65:11 NKJ)

Another scripture says, “Commit everything you do to the Lord.  Trust Him, and He will help you.”  (Ps. 37:5 NLT)  By doing this we will experience the goodness of the Lord.

Throughout our lives, it is good for us to take the time to ponder and to reflect.  While working out at the gym, I thought of some questions that you may want to consider.  They are good discussion topics that we can mull over with our families, our small groups, or with our work associates.

Pondering 2013

• What was the best thing that happened this past year?

• What was the most challenging thing that happened?

• With whom were your most valuable relationships?

• What was the biggest thing you learned this past year?

• What are 3 words that describe 2013 to you?

As we ponder questions like these, I want us to take the time to discuss and reflect upon the following three reminders:

1.WE ARE GOD’S family BY ASSIGNMENT, NOT convenience.

Part of this message is for us as a church ohana, corporately.  We are called to this spiritual family by assignment – not by convenience.  It is also applicable to our own family and amongst our friends. 

I want you to meditate on this following scripture.  “For this  reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in Heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith-that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of  Christ that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”  (Eph. 3:14-9 ESV)

According to Paul, the big theme of this passage is knowing Jesus by being filled with Him and His love.  Paul is using family language as he says “I bow my knees before the Father”.   When it comes to the Body of Christ, we are called to be God’s family by assignment – not by convenience.

Growing up without a Dad, my birth certificate read Silva; however, it later got changed to Shimabukuro, which did not seem convenient to me as a kindergartener learning to write.  During my son Kai’s teenage years, we had a big argument, and he threatened to change his last name when he moved to the mainland.  Well now he is back and selling women’s shoes at Nordstrom.  He is now reaping the benefits of his long Japanese last name because a lot of Japanese tourist shoppers now patronize him!

Through the name and blood of Christ, we have a relationship with the Father that is unbroken because of His love for us.  “God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jess Christ.  This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure.”  (Eph. 1:5 NLT)

God decided in advance, to adopt us through Jesus Christ.  It gave God great pleasure to adopt us into His family.  Therefore, don’t try to go incognito when it is inconvenient.  Sometimes we may shy away from speaking His name in public or at work.  Don’t be incognito, bear the name of Jesus Christ.

The Bible says, “So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners.  You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people.  You are members of God’s family.” (Eph. 2:19 NLT)

Sometimes I treat other citizens of God, other members of God’s family as strangers instead of as members of God’s family.  If we understand that we are called to be a member of His family by His assignment –whether it be corporately as a church, within our biological families, or with our relationships, then we are partnering with Him, and He is partnering with us.

Don’t run away from your marriages, or from relationships with people closest to you.  In your heart, don’t divorce your parents. Don’t vandalize and trash relationships because it takes more work and time to clean up the messes of that destruction.  Remember, we are God’s family by assignment, and not by convenience.

2.COMMIT TO learning AND unlearning… TOGETHER.

For the past 30 years I have been learning to live as a new creation in Christ.  This includes unlearning some old ways and bad habits that I have.  How do we learn to live?The answer is from God.  “True wisdom and real power belong to God; from Him we learn how to live, and also what to live for.”  (Job 12:13 MSG)

The Bible book mark is a reminder for all of us to read the Word of God.  Let’s now make it a duty to do so.  Let’s not get so check-list oriented in our devotions.  Instead, let’s keep our relationship with Him on-going.

“A wise man will hear and increase in learning. And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel.”  (Prov 1:5-6)

Another passage says, “Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of God, insight into life from knowing a Holy God.  It’s through me, wisdom, that our life deepens, and the years of your life ripen.  Live wisely and wisdom will permeate your life; mock life and life will mock you.” (Prov 9: 10-12 MSG)  This passage is saying that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  Knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Thirteen years ago, when I first came to New Hope from a mainland church and culture, I had to relearn and adjust to a new life-style.  In the process, I got out of shape and put on 20 pounds from over indulging in my eating. Therefore, I had to unlearn unhealthy habits and learn some good ones.

What areas of life is God speaking to you about to change?  What do you need to learn and unlearn?

3.COMMIT TO God’s mission FOR YOUR FUTURE.

Pastor Wayne talked about an acronym called ARISE.  These are 5 initiatives that we need to address for the next 5 years:

A – Awaken emerging leaders.

R – Redefine wisdom in the marketplace

I – Intentional parenting

S – Statesmanship.  Be involved in government.  Raise up government leaders who follow God.

E- Eternal mission. We have an eternal mission from God.

We need to commit to God’s mission for our future. “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24 NIV)

I love what Pastor Wayne said: “Keep the good news good news.”

At New Hope, may we not put pleasure, power, position, or popularity ahead of God’s mission for us.  Instead, may we finish the race and complete the task that Jesus has given each of us.

When my daughter was ten or eleven, I started to do some cardio exercises.  Therefore, we decided to hike Koko Head crater.  As my daughter, named Malia, approached the top of the steep and long hiking trail, she ran up the last 10-15 feet of stairs.  So I asked her why she did that and she replied, “I wanted to finish strong, Daddy!”

In this life we will have tribulation, but be of good cheer because Jesus is in us.  He will enable us to continue climbing and to continue walking with Him.  Soon we will be receiving communion.  Let us ponder our assignment for our family.  Let us think about things that we need to learn and possibly unlearn during this season in our lives.  Let us think about how God wants us to finish strong, and be people of faith.

Questions:

• What are some things that we need to learn and unlearn during this season?

• How can we finish strong in our faith?

• What does it mean, “We are God’s family by assignment and not by convenience?”

• How will you commit to God’s mission for your future?