Transcript
A (0:02)
Welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. We are so glad that you're here with us. You know, in this world, we all go through trials and experience losses, but the good news is that God is always with you and you can never lose his love. Please stay tuned as Rick brings his new series, the Key to Hope, to a close. Okay, let's join Rick as he shares the final part of a message called how to Finish.
B (0:29)
Well, now you know what the big enemy of humility is? Its image. And that's sad, because in Orange county, image is everything. Life never looked so good. It doesn't say it is good. It says it looks good. And as long as you look good, then it's okay. And today we even have image consultants to help us know how to look great and walk great and talk great and smell great and dress great and. And obviously, I've never hired one of them, but these image consultants are out there to kind of give you. Don't worry about your image. Worry about your character. Your image is not going to last. Your character, you're taking into eternity with you. That's what's gonna last. Now, image is what other people think you are, and character is what you really are. And so the Bible says, clothe yourselves with humility. You want to dress for success. In the morning, you get up and the first thing you put on is a humble spirit. I know I'm just a human being. The world does not depend on me. And I'm going to focus on God and other people, and you'll be humble. Now rate yourself on this. Okay. Or NW needs work. Give yourself a rating.
C (1:46)
There's a third secret to lasting life. Number three on the back of your outline is renew your spirit daily. Got to renew your spirit daily. Running the race that God planned for you is a daily effort. And because of that, you get tired and you're going to give up unless you can find a way to draw new strength every day. The apostle Paul, who's our example in finishing well, he was amazing in his resilience, his ability to just keep on keeping on no matter what. Look at what he has to say. In Second Corinthians 4, 8, 9, Paul wrote, We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don't know what to do. We never give up. In times of trouble. God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again. He wouldn't let anything keep him down. Now, what is the secret of that kind of life? The ability to bounce back. No matter what he tells us. Just a little bit later in that same chapter, 2nd Corinthians 4:16. Would you read this verse with me? This is why we are not discouraged. Though outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we are renewed day by day. The secret is daily spiritual renewal. Because, as he says in that verse, outwardly we are wearing out. Anybody want to give a testimony on that? Guess. You don't have to. Just, I mean, look down the row, you can see this. I mean, I don't care much care how much you nip it and tuck it and paint it and try and stretch it. You're wearing out. That's the way it is. You want some great news? Even though you're wearing out on the outside, it doesn't make a bit of difference. Paul says, on the inside, inwardly you can still be renewed day by day and find the strength and energy to live and finish well in life. Because it doesn't come from the outside, it comes from the inside. That's where the energy to finish well comes from. And so Paul writes, I'm being renewed day by day. Now, how do you do that? How do you stay fresh on the inside? How do you renew yourself daily? Well, there are two major ways that you renew yourself spiritually, daily. The first one is through God's word. God has given us this book so we can be renewed. There are over 7,000 promises from God in this book to renew us on a daily basis. That's enough for the rest of your life. But you have to find a way to get it into your life. As the Bible says in Psalm 119, verse 114, you, God, are my place of quiet retreat. I wait for your Word to renew me. How do you wait for God's Word? How do you let it get into your life? Well, for years, Christians have talked about five specific ways, using the five fingers on your hand, that you get God's Word into your life. You do it by hearing it. What we're doing right now, we're talking about God's Word. You hear it through your ear. You do it by reading it. That's when during the week, you pick it up and read some Bible verses. Third way that you get it into your life is by studying it, asking some questions, talking about the Bible with other people. A fourth way is by memorizing the Bible, by just taking a few minutes to memorize a verse so it's with you wherever you are. Put it in your mind. And a fifth way is by meditating or reflecting on the Bible, asking yourself, how do I do this. Now, when it comes to getting a grip on God's Word, one of the problems we often have is we don't use enough of these five ways to get it into our lives. It takes all of them, really, to get a good grip on God's Word. A lot of times we try to use only one way, many of us. You come to church on the weekend and you hear God's Word and you think, that's enough. I've got a good grip on it. But that's like trying to hold this book with just my little finger. It just. It won't stay. You ever notice how sometimes you come to church and you try to get a grip on the truth and it slips out right away? You come to church and you hear a message on anger, and on the way out, somebody cuts you off in the parking lot and it slips out and all of a sudden it's gone. Why does that happen? Why can't I hold onto it? Because you don't have multiple ways of getting a grip on God's Word. You have to hear it, but then also you read it during the week. But even that's not enough. A lot of people feel tired trying to do what God tells us to do. It feels wearying. If it ever feels that way to you, I'd encourage you find some more ways to get God's Word into your life. Because once you start to hear it and read it and then study it with other people, memorize a few verses, think about what it means for your life, you got a firm grip on it. You've got a grip that nothing can steal that truth from your life. It's a joyful truth. Then that's how you find the energy to last, through God's Word. There's a second way to find the energy to last, and that is through fellowship with other believers, through relationships with other believers. Look at this verse up on the screen from Hebrews 10, verse 25. The Bible says, let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing. But let us encourage one another. That's the key to daily renewal. I would love to say that my keeping on, keeping on in the Christian life, my growth in the Christian life, is because of my intelligence or my spirituality and my own personal dedication. But the truth of the matter is any growth that's happened in my life, I know beyond a shadow of doubt, it's because I've been privileged to hang around other people that are growing in the Christian life, it rubs off. That's not just True for me. It's true for all of us. The Bible says God's designed us that way. We need other people to grow in the Christian life. The point is, don't try to do it alone, because when you do, you're not going to make it. I heard this last week that when it comes to our New Year's resolutions, all these great ideas we have for what we're going to do and be in the new year, that 90% of them are broken by January 10th. Why? Yearly resolutions don't cut it. They don't last. It's daily renewal that makes the difference based on God's word and based on relationships with others. So how are you doing on this one? Is it an okay or is it an NW A? Needs work. How are you doing on being consistent in the habits that renew you on a daily basis?