In doing our new year’s resolutions OR in any other area of our life we can get stuck. We can become stagnant or be powerless to effect any change in our lives or in our selves. A new schedule, a different way to do something or even focusing on different things can be tough because we’ve always operated in a certain way or vein that ‘works best for us’. We can become stuck.

Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.

I think of the disciples who were each called by Jesus. Scripture says they left what they ‘knew’ and followed Him. They must have given up some friends, a certain way of life, and their normal daily routine. Their days were filled with some practical activities of everyday life, I’m sure, but they left behind a lot of things in order to learn and follow Him. Likewise, when we come to a saving knowledge of Christ, we turn. Sometimes it’s a gradual turn as we grow in wisdom and understaning, but we must allow Jesus to change us from the inside out to become more holy and reflect His righteousness through how we live and fellowship with others. He must be allowed to permeate every area of our existence in order to grow and not be stuck.

Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.

Romans 7:14-25 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, But what I hate, I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I admit that the law is good. In that case, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For it does not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do. And if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does. So this is the principle that I have discovered: When I was to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law. But I see another law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me. O wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! So the, with my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

The disciples lived and walked with Christ. His demeanor must have rubbed off on them, yet in many scriptures we see their individual personalities and viewpoints come out. They were trying to promote the kingdom of God with their earthly cares and understanding. They struggled to wrap their minds around His ways and the ways of the Father. In this way, we see how Jesus demonstrated fellowship with His disciples, all coming together to learn a ‘new way’. With that ‘new way’ and after Jesus’s crucifixion, no one disciple could stand alone. It took the resurrection and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit to show them they were one body in Christ in need of one another. We are no different. The phrase ‘no man is an island unto himself’ rings true when we prefer ‘our’ ways. Scripture speaks a different word:

Ephesians 4:16 From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part.

1 Corinthians 12:12-24 The body is a unit, though it is composed of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body. So it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized in to one body, whether Jews of Greeks, slave of free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink. For the body does not consist of one part, but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of small be? But in fact, God has arranged the member of the body, every one of them, according to His design. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you.” Nor can the head say to the feet, “I do not need you.” On the contrary, the parts fo the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts we consider less honorable, we treat with greater honor. And our unpresentable parts are treated with special modesty, whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God has composed the body and have given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its members should have mutual concern for one another. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

My grandfather used to quote that last line to my mother often, especially when he was disciplining her. It didn’t bring him joy to have to administer it to her, but he knew it was for her good, to keep her growing and connected properly to the family and to the Lord. My mother exacted the same to me. It did not please her to discipline me and I certainly didn’t like it. In the moment it brought anger and humility, not in a good way. After though, she would love me and bring me back in. Sometimes my heart was hard, and I wanted to remain stuck in my ways and I rebelled against my parents and against God. It was that loving chastening that kept me connected to them, and similarly with God. God uses chastisement to bring restoration and His righteousness to our lives so we don’t get stuck or remain in our old ways.

Isaiah 53:5-6  But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.

I am certain that the disciples had so very much to learn from walking with Jesus. The desire to shed old ways was probably easier to some extent than what we have because they were in the presence of the Almighty. We too must shed those old ways and subject ourselves to transformation in every area of our lives.

John 7:37-38

On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’”

Are living waters flowing from the Almighty to you and then to others or are you stuck? Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. God’s ways are higher than ours. We do the things we don’t wish to do and forget those we wish to do. We must put on the new man and forsake our old ways and we must remain connected to the body of Christ to flourish. It is then streams of living waters will flow when we are connected to the source, Jesus Christ.

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