As we come to the end of one year and the beginning of a new one there can be both a sense of relief and excitement. We are relieved that we made it through another year and excited about the prospect of a new year untouched by the disappointments of the last. We make resolutions that we know we won’t be able to keep because, “why not?” Anything is possible!
If we really want to have a good year though, we need to do more than hope that it will be good. We need to take specific steps that will set us up for the success that we envision. While we cannot control everything that will happen in the new year, by taking proactive steps we can set ourselves up for the best year possible.
As a Christian I am encouraged to know that God makes all things new. In fact, in the last book of the Bible we have this declaration:
Revelation 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
So, how do we live out this new direction and purpose in a new year?
Accept the truth
We cannot change the world until we first believe that it is possible! Do you believe that God has a plan for you life that is bigger than simply getting by?
This is one of the reasons that understanding creation is so important-When we understand that we were created by an infinite God, in His image, than the only conclusion we can draw is that we were created to do something Great!
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
This is not to say that your life will be free of difficulties and that if you are living for God everything will be great. It is, however, to say that if you are living for God you are fulfilling the PURPOSE for which you were created and there is not better than life than doing what you were created to do!
Once we accept the truth we need to:
Confront the obstacles
What is in front of you that you are unwilling to face in order to move forward?
John F. Kennedy, told this story shortly before he died:
“Frank O’Conner, the Irish writer, tells in one of his books how as a boy, he and his friends would make their way across the countryside and when they came to an orchard wall that seemed too high and too doubtful to try and too difficult to permit their voyage to continue, they took off their hats and tossed them over the wall – and then they had no choice but to follow them.“
In that speech Kennedy was trying to convince the nation to ‘throw its hat over the wall of space’ and support the Apollo moon-landing program.
Failures
Personality
Background
Opportunity
Fear
Lack of motivation (false based on how I feel at this moment)
The Past
These can all be obstacles that keep us from moving forward until we are willing to confront them and hand on to the truth of Scripture:
1John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Once you have accepted the truth and confronted the obstacles you can:
Begin again
Moses was 80 before God started using him
Abraham started late in life but out of him came the nation of Israel
Peter was a middle aged business owner before being used by God to turn the world upside down
Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament, was in his forties before he even became a Christian
The one thing that they all had in common was that they MADE A DECISION not to allow their past, good or bad, to dictate their future and when God made clear that path forward, they allowed him to take what they had been and make it new for his glory!
The best place to start is at the beginning and the best time to do it is now!
Revelation 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make ALL things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Colossians 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
You can make a difference! Deal with the obstacles, accept the truth that the Lord has a plan for your life and let Him do what He wants to do!
Sometimes, you just need a new beginning!
Fortunately, in Christ, all things can be made new!
You say, “I am too set in my ways”
Begin Again! He makes all things new!
You say, “I have made so many mistakes”
Begin Again! He makes all things new!
You say, “I have hurt so many people”
Begin Again! He makes all things new!
Maybe for you today it is accepting the forgiveness of sin and entering into that relationship that brings newness of life! We can live our lives regretting what was, or we can decide that today will be the start of something new.
The choice is yours.
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