I went for a walk along the banks of a small river on New Year’s Eve Day. It was snowing, and the forest was absolutely beautiful. It brought new life to my soul, and everywhere the path turned I found new inspiration and wonder. I returned to the same place a couple weeks later, on a bitterly cold, grey day, and it was dull, predictable and covered in treacherous ice. The snow was old, the way was rough, and I had to look harder for beautiful details. I didn’t stay very long.

On that initial walk, I lingered long, and resolved to come back on a daily basis. But reality set in: the early setting sun restricted my time, the bitter cold and icy paths made a long walk less inviting, and the fact of the matter is that I only visited that place twice this winter.

Today I’m thinking about resolutions and how we so eagerly begin things, and how quickly reality dampens our brightest hopes and reminds us that it’s cold and dreary February, and springtime is a long way off. There comes a time in winter when hibernation seems like the most sensible coping mechanism; but, unfortunately, that isn’t an option, and life must go on.

Why do we do new things?

It’s worthwhile to concentrate our energy and focus; it’s good to have goals and see them accomplished; it’s encouraging to have a fresh start and a blank page. New things are good, but new things cannot always remain new. What do we do with them once they have lost their newness and we are left with yet another thing to do?

Proverbs 24:16 says that a righteous man may fall seven times and yet rise again; is this merely a matter of dogged perseverance? Partially, some people are gifted with a natural tenacity and stubbornness, while others must simply resolve to keep going. Sometimes we give more weight to the feeling of the experience than the doing of it (a lovely, snowy path versus a treacherous, icy path, for example). But I think this matter goes deeper than a person’s willingness to bite the proverbial bullet and just do the thing.

Sustainability is something I’ve been seeking to cultivate in my own life in the past few years. This means I cannot commit to every new idea or opportunity that comes my way. Theoretically, I acknowledge that I cannot do everything, but only over the process of time am I learning to live my life in a way that includes fewer shocking changes and more thoughtful and faithful continuances. That’s what I like about the righteous man in Proverbs 24. He continues. He goes forward. He finds the path again. He keeps going.

As I seek wisdom in choosing a sustainable way of life, the idea of Sabbath continues to arise. Rest and margin in my life are necessary if I’m going to “run with endurance the race set before me.” This involves laying aside unnecessary burdens (a cause for consideration) and looking unto Jesus (let’s not miss the Person we’re running toward). [See Hebrews 12:1-2] The thing I love about Sabbath is that it’s not about getting every last bit of work done and then allowing oneself to rest. It’s inserting rest into the rhythms of our lives and regularly looking back to acknowledge what has been done, and that God is still good.

It can be a burden to see no end in sight of our responsibilities and resolutions; maybe not at first while the snow is still falling, but surely once the path is covered in ice and progress is slow, we begin to wonder if it’s really worth it. So, here are some things which help me insert a Sabbath mentality into my life and to sustainably keep going in the things that matter.

1. Appreciate what has been done.

Our globalized society is progressing so rapidly that it’s fairly common to feel left behind. There remains so much possibility ahead that we forget to pause and look back to appreciate how far we have come. This incorporates the Sabbath into our lives: the work will never be done, but we are set free to rejoice in life as it is. This applies to one another’s lives as well: I have found great joy in telling others that I notice and appreciate when they are doing something well. “Good job,” helps. So does, “Ta-da!”

2. Choose resolutions sustainably.

“Saying yes to one thing means saying no to many others, including the rest you may need,” some friends counseled me recently. It feels so good to have a long list of exciting new things; it feels less good when we find ourselves drowning in commitments we do not have the energy to keep. I believe saying yes is important and vital. We cannot always say no. Keeping an ongoing conversation in prayer with God about our present and potential commitments is a practice in both wisdom and humility. Once we’ve chosen to say yes, let’s ask Him for the grace to complete it well.

3. Be on the lookout for beauty and goodness.

In the midst of dreary February and settling routines, it’s more difficult to find the feeling of new inspiration. This is the time to put on our “goodness glasses” and begin looking for the goodness of the Lord all around us. For me, that means walks outside every day, looking for springtime, enjoying the sunshine when it appears, noticing the days growing a bit longer, keeping a fresh flower in my house at all times. They need not be expensive or extravagant things, but a bit of fresh goodness can bring beauty and inspiration into a normal routine. Open eyes are able to enjoy.

4. The routine is not our enemy.

While I am a massive fan of newness, I also get a bit anxious when life is in upheaval due to travel, change, holidays, etc. I have lately come to love and crave a consistent routine. With constant change comes constant decision making; I find exciting seasons to be fun but not sustainable long term, as my energies are used in the moment and not in long term progress. Boundaries on our time and schedules create healthy confines in which we can find stability and make daily progress in the right direction.

5. Peace and thankfulness.

The Bible exhorts us to “let the peace of God rule in our hearts, to which we were also called in one body, and be thankful” (Colossians 3:15). Letting God’s peace rule in my heart has practical implications in my life: taking a deep breath in between tasks, getting sufficient sleep and nutrition, recognizing my own limitations (a 12-hour workday is not sustainable on a regular basis for me), not multitasking, being present in the moment and situation where I find myself, caring about the person in front of me, etc. It’s accepting that a day’s work has been sufficiently done and trusting the Lord and going to sleep. It’s also the process of giving thanks: especially at the end of the day, when I find myself unsure if I have made any progress at all, I am helped by making a concrete list of what has been accomplished or begun or continued, and also what beauty I’ve noticed.

Life keeps moving forward, and so shall we. The social experiment known as New Year’s Resolutions has taught us, at the very least, that it is desirable to begin new things, yet difficult to sustain them. Now is a great season to reevaluate our commitments, look for the beauty in the normal routine and look unto Jesus as we keep on walking. It’s a good time of year to rejoice. It’s a good time of year to look back and see what God has already done and to take a deep breath and enjoy exactly where we are, and having done so, to go on.

“The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:9-12).

Through this “Advent Adventure,” we’ve looked at the long-awaited, promised and anticipated birth of Jesus Christ the Messiah, from multiple angles, zooming in on all the “characters of Christmas.” Now, let’s make it personal. John’s gospel says plainly that Jesus gives light to every person born. John observed that many who should’ve received Jesus, didn’t, including both Jews and Gentiles. But others welcomed the newborn King. And to them, He gave new life.

Our last step, then, is to simply receive Jesus, moving from the heart-warming, sentimental view of Christmas, to the soul-saving reality that we all need His rescue. We must abandon the fruitless attempt to save ourselves by good works, identify our sin, turn from it, calling upon Jesus and receive Him as Lord and Savior. That’s where life in God’s family begins.

Have you done that? If not, why not take that step now? How? Pray! All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. So pray something like this: “Father God, thank you for sending Jesus to die for my sin and then to rise from the dead. Please forgive me now as I open my heart to confess Him as my Lord and Savior. The rest of my life is Yours, in Jesus’ Strong Name. Amen.”

And now, welcome to the family of God…And have a Happy New Year!

“After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and His mother,’ the angel said. ‘Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill Him.’ That night, Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, His mother, and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: ‘I called My Son out of Egypt’” (Matthew 2:13-5).

The journey continued for Joseph, Mary and Jesus. The Magi’s gold would’ve come in handy for this poor family as they traveled south to Egypt, the same Egypt that gave birth to the nation of Israel nearly 1,500 years earlier. The words from Zacharias about Jesus’ rejection must’ve been ringing in their ears as they wondered to themselves, “Why would Herod want to kill our little boy? How will we survive in this strange land? Why Egypt, with it’s painful memories for our people? Why can’t we quietly slip back up to Nazareth where we have connections?”

With many good reasons to head north, Joseph quickly packed up his tiny family and fled south to Egypt. This was no time to question an angel who had been right so far. Joseph’s quick obedience saved the life of the Son of God. Yahweh could’ve accomplished redemption with or without human involvement but chose instead to work in the midst of the current confusion and violence, and prove that it only took a couple of obedient and courageous souls, listening to God, to thwart the schemes of a madman.

Jesus is our Savior, but Joseph has earned hero status in my book.

How long did the family live in Egypt? Some scholars believe it was a rather brief stay. It appears that Herod the Great’s number was up after ordering the massacre of all those little boys. He died shortly after that terrible event.

“Then they opened their treasure chests and gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense and Myrrh” (Matthew 2:11).

Perhaps each of these gifts from the Magi were simply their way of honoring this new “King of the Jews” by giving Him what was precious to them. After all, gifts were commonly exchanged when visiting from distant lands. So perhaps gold was just gold, and the sweet resins were just intended to make Mary’s house smell nice. But there’s one interesting claim in the ancient world of Jesus’ time regarding myrrh. It was apparently applied to ease pain. This substance from the thorny “Commiphora” tree might have been a prophetic hint. There was indeed pain in Jesus’ future.

But there is application for us, because we also carry pain, sorrow, brokenness and regrets. Remember, Jesus Himself says, “Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I’ll give you rest.” And He defined His mission that day He stood up in His hometown synagogue and said the Spirit of the Lord had anointed Him, “to bring Good News to the poor, proclaim that captives would be released, the blind would see, the oppressed would be set free” (Luke 4:18-19). He was saying, “bring me all that pain, suffering and the doubts it brings.”

Jesus is King of Kings. Jesus is truly God. And Jesus is our burden-bearer, and sorrow-lifter. Jesus heals what is broken in us, if we’ll just bring it to Him. When we worship Him, even when pain, doubt or sorrow remains, we’re offering the most precious worship of all.

Give Jesus what He asks for. Come with the thorns, the wounds, the questions and lift up your praise to your King, God and Healer. He will lift you with His own wounded hands.

“Then they opened their treasure chests and gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense…” (Matthew 2:11).

With gold, the magi recognized the “young child” as king. But their worship had only begun. The remaining precious substances presented to Jesus were gathered in resin from short, desert trees, native to the Arabian peninsula.

Frankincense makes a profound statement. This fragrant resin “Boswellia sacra” tree was one of four ingredients blended to make sacred incense used in the Tabernacle, a portable tent version of the future temple in Jerusalem. Think of it as God’s “tiny house.”

Every morning priests would ignite enough incense on a small, three-foot tall altar to allow it smolder for more than 12 hours. In the evening, the process was repeated. Do the simple math. This pleasant fragrance would fill God’s house 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Here’s where this gets personal. The sweet aroma of that incense rising from the altar represented the prayers of God’s people, including yours. King David said, “Let my prayer be set before you as incense, my lifted hands as the evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:2).

This wonderful fragrance of frankincense was a visible message to God’s people that He is always ready 24/7 to listen to our prayers, and that He loves to hear our voices.

Frankincense speaks of honoring Jesus, not just with the worship of surrender and allegiance due to Him as our king, but also with the worship of prayer and praise offered to Him as the One True God.

May our lives be filled with the sweet aroma of our frankincense, rising to God in song, and the open conversation of prayer, praise and adoration. May our sacrifice of praise never cease.

“Then they opened their treasure chests and gave Him gifts of gold…” (Matthew 2:11).

As the mysterious Eastern visitors arose from the floor, they dusted themselves off, straightened their robes and began presenting tokens or “treasures” of their adoration.

First came the gold, known as “the metal of kings.” Nearly every culture sees gold as the most precious of treasures. Economies and currencies are based on gold held on deposit by the king and his administration. There is no doubt this gift of gold was meant to acknowledge Jesus as king. Since these men saw Jesus as king, He needed to be honored with the treasure of a king.

The tender Christmas song asks, “What can I bring Him, poor as I am?” The truth is, no matter how poor we are, we must still honor Him as king, and the core commodity every humble subject must present to their king is their allegiance or loyalty.

We hear voices today insisting that we “Bow to no one; be true only to yourself.” That is a recipe for a diminished life. You were not made to be your own king.

Answer these questions: Did you create yourself? Did you assemble the environment in which you live, that provides the elements that keep you alive: air, water, food? Did you place the planet you live on in a precise orbit around the sun that provides warmth and nutrient for you? No? Then there is one to whom you and I owe allegiance…one to whom we must give our “gold” of honor and surrender. That would be Jesus, “through whom all things that were made” (John 1:1-3). That is your king. Crown Him with gold.

“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother and fell down and worshiped Him” (Matthew 2:11).

The Magi did what they told Herod they’d come to do. They had not come to worship him, the old king. They had come to worship the “New King.” So when they saw Jesus, they fell down before Him in adoration. They worshiped Him as God and King.

Everyone knows about the gifts they brought, but before they presented gold, frankincense and myrrh, they gave something more meaningful, costly and significant. Honestly, any gift, offering or sacrifice which comes without this, is, to say the least, incomplete and perhaps unacceptable. What did they give first? THEMSELVES!

Perhaps you’ve heard someone say “Christianity isn’t about religion; it’s about relationship.” What’s the difference? Religion can be defined in terms of ritual, ceremony, schedules, symbols and liturgies filled with memorized prayers. But our hearts long for far more. We were created to truly know God as Father, Savior and Friend, and all of that begins with relationship the moment we present ourselves to God.

Oh, easier to toss a coin in an offering box, recite “Our Father” and kneel-sit-stand at just the right time. Too many settle for that ritual. But others won’t be satisfied with anything short of the personal surrender of themselves as a “living sacrifice” to God (Romans 12:1). It’s far more costly than a bag of gold, but that’s where life with God begins.

King David refused to present an offering to God that costed him nothing (2 Samuel 24:24).

God receives the surrender of our will, heart, hopes, like the true treasure it is. It is the very treasure Jesus came searching for.

What will you give Jesus? Start by giving Him YOU.