by Pastor Keith
Jeremiah 29:11 - “‘I know what I am planning for you,’ says the LORD. ‘I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.’”
Philippians 3:12-14 - “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me… I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
So often in our lives the new year isn’t a “new” year; it’s just another year that’s been recycled. Much of our lives are repetitious. We’re creatures of habit, often gravitating to the old and familiar. If we’re not cognitive of it, we make the same poor choices, hold on to the same old hurts, lack spiritual drive, and end the new year just like we started it. We miss God’s “plans to prosper you, not to harm, to give you a hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11). Let me give three questions to help us make the new year new.
What do I need to put off, and what do I need to put on? We tend to focus on the “putting off” – I’ll address my debt, shed some weight, kick an old habit, etc. Our intentions are good, but our follow-through is poor because we haven’t filled the void of what we’ve “put off.” Maybe our focus should be the “putting on” – I’ll put on new thoughts, new words, new actions, allocate new time slots that better please God and edify the soul. (Ephesians 4:22-24)
Where are the closed doors, and where are the open doors? An “open door” may be defined as “where is God working?” God may be working in your finances, or with your family, or your professional and spiritual growth. He could be opening doors for greater ministry, new life disciplines or a renewed sense of servanthood. Most of us know what God wants of us when we quiet before Him. Even Shakespeare said, “If to do were as easy as to know what to do, chapels had been churches, and poor men’s cottages princes’ palaces. It is a good divine that follows his own instructions.” Do what you know to do. (Revelations 3:8)
What seems important, and what truly is important? Many things in our lives “seem” important. What seems important and what is truly important are often miles apart. I’m often called upon to officiate funerals and standing before a casket always forces me to reevaluate my life. A funeral often sobers my thinking about what seems important and what’s truly important. Money takes a backseat to relationships, worry fades when I focus on eternity, and I realize I need to take more stock in the work that is eternal. (Matthew 6:25)
The new year gives us an opportunity to readjust our lives. To realign our lives with the Word of God. To open our hearts and minds to God’s will. To remember God’s plans for you - “plans to prosper you, not to harm, to give you a hope and a future!”
Today's Scripture reading can be found in Acts 2 & Psalm 15. Have a great day and God bless you as you seek first Him and His Kingdom!