A New Year
“Forget the former things do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new
thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way
in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19
As we look at a block of time we see 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,536,000 seconds. And all is a gift from God. We have done nothing to deserve it, earn it, or purchase it. Like the air we breathe, time comes to us as a part of life. The gift of time is not ours alone. It is given equally to each person. Rich and poor, educated and ignorant, strong and weak—every man, woman and child has the same twenty-four hours every day. You cannot stop it. There is no way to slow it down, turn it off, or adjust it. Time marches on. Many years seem to go unaccounted for because we see nothing spectacular that was accomplished. Yet some years stand out as stellar years because of a major accomplishment. The Bible is full of stories of little people, little places, and little events that came together to work miraculous things. Why not make this year 2008 one of those years that we plan to make a mark because of our relationship with God a priority? That will mean that we make some changes in our daily schedule and priorities.
- Make a decision today that you are going to spend uninterrupted time alone with God. This will mean getting a plan in place to do this. Choose a time preferably in the morning to go to a quiet place and read the Bible and pray.
- Decide to encourage and mentor someone who is struggling. It may be someone in your family or work place, but choose someone that needs help and direction from the Lord. (2 Tim 2:1-2)
- Plan to begin to give sacrificially to God. Only a 2.5% of Evangelical Christians actually tithe. Why is that? After all that God has blessed us with why do we not honor Him with our first fruits? It is because we do not plan and pray and we default to the pressure of being like the rest of our peers. Choose a church that preaches the Word of God and begin to give sacrificially to the Lord. Find a single mother or a widow that needs help from the Lord. Be sensitive to the Lord’s leading about giving out of our abun dance. (2 Corinthians 8:1-14)
- Decide to share a word of testimony with those around you. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” See people as God sees them, lost without hope. We pass them by each day. At the grocery store, at work and school. Without your witness and testimony they may never hear about Jesus and the life that He offers. Obtain some good relevant Gospel tracts and leave them with your tip in restaurants. This will require some plan ning and compassion, but it is effective. Your story of God changing your life in invaluable as you talk to people, no one else has your testimony and influence.
- Let the past go, this is a new year, a new opportunity, a new you. The Devil wants you to remain the same, but God is placing a challenge and an opportunity for you to be an influencer for the Kingdom, take your stand. (Phil 3:12-14)
If 2008 is going to be the year to remember, we need to agree that some things have to change. Allow the Holy Spirit to interrupt your lifestyle and daily routine. Ask Him to open doors of opportunity and He will. Pray impossible prayers and dream dreams that only God himself can accomplish. This is your year, seize the time. It is passing quickly. You have but one life, one time, one 2008.
