The start of a new year often feels like a fresh start for many of us. It's just semantics, really. There is no real change from December 31st to January 1st besides what we see on a calendar, but the calendar change does afford a potent opportunity to reflect on where we have been, and consider where we are going.
Missionary J.G. Williams has several excellent books, including a devotional titled Draw Me: A Year with Christ in Song of Solomon. In one of the devotionals on Song of Solomon 3:11, Williams focuses on the reference to Solomon's mother - Bathsheba - and makes some comments that might be especially relevant for us at this time of year.
Solomon's Mother
In the devotional, Williams writes:
Our text today makes a passing reference to King Solomon's mother and the fact that she was involved in crowning him on his coronation day.
His mother's name was Bathsheba and she first appears in I Samuel chapter eleven where King David sees her washing in the evening as he walked upon his rooftop. The resulting adulterous liaison led to David murdering her Bathsheba's first husband by proxy, a hastily arranged wedding, a confrontation with the prophet Nathan and the public exposure of David's sin. As God's judgment played out, the consequences of this sin not only led to years of heartache in David's life, but to the death of the baby produced by this illicit relationship.
"And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him." (Il Sam. 12:24) Solomon turns out to be an incredible testimony to God's grace. Although his mother did wrong by not saying "No" when approached that fateful evening by David's messengers, God still blessed her repentance and subsequent obedience. This fact is acknowledged by the Holy Spirit in Song 3:11 when Bathsheba is favourably mentioned.
What about you? Most believers have a working knowledge of God's mercy and grace - mercy is judgment we are owed, but do not receive, while grace is favour we do not deserve, but are nonetheless given. At salvation we are completely and forever forgiven. Mercy removes the penalty of our sin and grace gives us eternal life. But many a believer still lives with the guilt of their sins.
Bathsheba did not allow the faults of her past to derail her future. She trusted in God's grace, got on with her life and was used by God to produce one of Israel's greatest kings. As a testimony to the Lord's working in her life, she was allowed to help in the coronation of her son and is duly noted by the Holy Spirit for doing so.
Will the story of your life focus on your faults and how they prevented you from serving the Lord? Or will your story focus on God’s grace in your life and how you overcame such struggles to be used of God in ways you never imagined?
Make it personal: When was the last time you had the opportunity to do something for the Lord but hesitated because you did not feel worthy or maybe even because you felt guilty about some fault in your life? God desires we serve Him. Satan desires that we do not and will continually throw our past in our face to stop us in our tracks. Do a heart check. If any faults are revealed , confess them, forsake them and move on and do something great for God today!
New Year, Same Calling
Every single day moves us closer to the Lord's return, and the condition of the world certainly seems to ripe for that moment! But whether He comes six minutes, six months, six years, or six decades from now, our calling remains the same. But we can easily find ourselves discouraged from that calling because of the darkness of the world around us, and the surprising darkness of our own hearts. Just because we have a new nature in Christ does not mean that our old nature in the flesh is yet abolished. That wretched thing is alive and well even in the best of us (see Paul's struggle with his flesh in Romans 7). The ever-present reality of our sin nature requires vigilance, and we all have lapses. Some lapses may go practically unnoticed, but others are painful reminders of just how far we fall short of God's standards. In those moments can be so staggering that they leave us feeling paralyzed in our service to the Lord. But we need not feel this way!
Several posts on Vanguard share a similar theme with William's devotional on Song of Solomon 3:11 - the theme of pressing on. I don't know what the past year was like for you, but I'd guess it included difficulties, heartbreaks, fears, and failures. It probably included a lot of good things too, but if you're like me it's all too easy to let the negative things crowd your memory. And yet we must press on. Pressing on is a normal part of the Christian life, as evidenced by Philippians 3:13-14:
...this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
If there is anything lingering from the past year, deal with that now, and then press on for the Lord. Don't allow Satan to discourage you; the Lord is gracious, as evidenced with Bathsheba. And not only is He gracious, but also keep in view that He is coming soon! When that day arrives, we will be done with these old sinful natures forever, and we will never disappoint ourselves, our families, our friends, or our Lord again! In the meantime, do your very best, and when you fall short - press on! Rather than dragging around the weight of discouragement, let's strive to be found serving Him with everything we've got when He gets here.
What Will You Do with This Year?
So, what will do you this year for the Lord? If you're looking for a devotional to help you start each day on the right foot, check out J.G. Williams' devotional referenced above. You can get a copy at this link.
If you're looking for more encouragement to press on, or some ideas about ways to serve the Lord, consider these other posts on Vanguard:
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