As we settle into a new year, many of us are determined to do better in 2020 than we did in 2019. Eat better, exercise more, take more time off, keep better tax records, read our Bible more consistently, pray more passionately, spend more time with our kids, take better care of the house, attend church more regularly, invest our time more intentionally — and the list of do better items goes on and on.

The reason we feel the need to do better is because there is a very real undercurrent in our world that is constantly pulling us toward disorder and breakdown. The Second Law of Thermodynamics describes the reality of disorder and its irreversibility. In layman’s terms, if we want something to be in orderly condition, we are going to have to fight against the natural disorder of the universe to get it there and keep it that way.

Whether we like it or not, as soon as we’re done cleaning and organizing the house, it begins to get dirty and disorganized again. A new car begins to depreciate in value the moment it rolls off the assembly line. Listen, no matter how hard we fight against it, we are always going to grow older and never younger. Disorder is the irreversible law of the land. This is why cartoon tombstones often say Rest in Peace. The fact is, we will not be done fighting disorder until we rest in the grave. Now there’s an inspirational thought to launch your new year!

As a Christian, it makes sense to me that sin introduced disorder into God’s orderly creation. After sin, Adam was doomed to raise food by fighting weeds and laboring by the sweat of his brow. Eve was doomed to a life of subjugation and painful childbirth. They were banished from the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Life. The march toward death became their new reality. They came from dust as God brought order and design out of randomness, but sin reversed the holy equation – and God declared that to dust they would return — the second law at work.

Jesus was talking about the second law of thermodynamics when he warned them about “storing up treasure on earth where moth and dust corrupts and where thieves break in and steal.” He then encouraged them to “store up treasure in heaven where moth and rust do not corrupt and where thieves do not break in and steal.” In other words, the second law does not exist in heaven! Without the undercurrent of disorder, nothing breaks down and nothing dies. Is it possible that everything actually gets better in heaven as time goes by? My friends, we are so accustomed to the certainty of the second law that imagining such an ever-improving existence is impossible. What a place heaven must be!

Paul was also recognizing disorderliness when he cried out, “What a wretched man I am!” in Romans 7. Go ahead, take a moment to read the entire chapter. His contorted lament well reflects our frustration as we live in and battle against the relentless disorderliness of this fallen and ever-deteriorating world.

But thankfully God also inspired Paul to write Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” In Christ, we are set free from the second law. Death no longer has mastery over us. And yes, for the believer, we know that ultimately everything is getting better. Our faith emerges from Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” By God’s grace and generosity, faithful believers begin overcoming the second law even as they labor on this earth! Here’s another powerful verse that communicates our victory over the second law, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

To remain free of the second law, we must stand firm in our faith and in holiness. Doing so requires us to feast regularly on the transformational grace that God makes available to us through (1) abiding in His Holy Word, (2) the intimacy and communion of prayer, (3) the filling and empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, (4) the encouragement and accountability of the Body of Christ, and (5) the passion and fulfillment of serving in the mission of God. As we feast regularly on His grace, He empowers orderliness. Doing so requires discipline — and this is why the followers of Jesus Christ are called disciples. Listen, if you don’t have the discipline to feast regularly on His grace, then disorderliness will be the law of your life. It’s true, and you know it’s true.

Believer, do you want to do better this year? If so, then feast regularly on His grace. Discipline the Word, Prayer, Spirit, Body and Mission into your life. When you do, His grace will transform you and it will allow your spirit to overcome the law of disorder. You will be free — and free indeed!

“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” Jude 24-25