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The Formula For a Big Year

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I have a feeling that this is going to be a BIG YEAR for you…

Though I hadn’t really thought about a BIG YEAR until the release of a movie by the same name.  In case you hadn’t heard, this flick is about (ahem) competitive bird watching, which to be honest, doesn’t sound like something to Tweet about - especially if it ends up laying a cinematic egg.

But…this fowl film does boast the combined talents of:

Jack Black (“And we shall teach rock ‘n’ roll to the world.”)

Owen Wilson (“You is talking loco and I like it!”)

Steve Martin (“I would like to buy a hamburger!”)

And a host of other fun folks who should make this movie an enjoyable journey through their collective approach to dealing with crisis, which is to have a Big Year.

In their case, this involves taking 365 days to experience things that they regret not having as a part of their past, under the guise of being amateur orinthologists.  As Steve Martin’s character quips in the film: “ Most people wake up one day and realize they didn’t do everything they wanted to do.”

I wonder…do you think there’s a chance you might wake up one day in that same condition?  We oftentimes plod along in life like dutiful ants simply trying to survive the day, but this could be the day we resolve in hearts to have a BIG YEAR.

No, not watching birds.  *Exhilarating* as it sounds to sit out in the wild with binoculars trying to spot a Yellow Bellied Sap Sucker, I’ve got my sights set much, much higher:

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.  He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:  “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:15-19).

And the Spirit of the Lord is on you too.  If you have trusted Christ as your only hope of salvation, God desires that you have a Big Year in His power and for His glory!

So how does this happen?  I’m so glad you asked!  The formula for the Big Year of God’s favor is found in the verses you just read.  Let me lay it out for you:

Step #1 - “Proclaim good news to the poor.”

This means you take every opportunity to share the gospel with your friends who don’t know Jesus.  And if you don’t have any unsaved friends, then make some - especially if they are “poor.”  Not financially, but poverty stricken in a social or emotional sense.  These are the folks who need the good news the most!

So are you willing to sit by the students that have pretty much sat alone for most of their lives?  Can you sacrifice a bit of your status or coolness this year to proclaim the good news to the poor?

Step #2 - “Proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”

If you want to truly be a part of this process, you’re going to have to vacate your local premises and get to where the real oppression is happening.  God may be calling you this year to travel out of the country on a short term missions trip, or perhaps He just desires that you give up a few weekends to volunteer at a rescue mission or do an extreme community makeover in an economically challenged area near your comfy suburban abode.

My friends, I sincerely hope that you don’t wake up one day and realize that you didn’t do everything God wanted you to do.  That would be the worst regret of all!

So whether you are tween, teen, or too old to care what you are anymore, get out of your comfort zone and into THE Cause of Christ so God can use you in huge ways to proclaim the BIG YEAR of God’s favor!

 

One of my biggest worries in life is that I might wake up one day and regret that I blew many chances to honor God with my time, talent, and treasure.  The movie Big Year is a great reminder that we need to get out of the ruts of our routines and proclaim the good news to set the captives free!

Jesus, thank you for giving us an example of what it means to proclaim the year of God’s favor.  Spirit, anoint us with power so we can be used in a mighty way to impact the Kingdom of God and see our friends trust in Christ as their only hope of salvation. 

Matthew 25:23. “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’”

  Not sure how to go about sharing your faith? Check out this seven minute Sharing Your Faith Overview video by Greg Stier.