It’s already closing in on the end of the first week of this New Year. How are you doing on those resolutions? How are your top five goals working out so far? Slipped off your diet yet? Stopped going to the gym at 5 a.m.? Do you find yourself worried about the fiscal cliff? Worried about your future? Have you already checked the calendar to see when the next “holiday” or day off might be coming? Want to have more relevance in your life?
If you answered
yes to any of these questions, you are not alone! I know 2012 was a tough year for many of
you. This New Year, 2013, is still full of much hope
and promise for the future. I think
that’s why we all look forward to a new year because it brings with it a clean
slate and a time for a fresh start. We
get a “do-over” of sorts!
We often
focus on how we need to improve our circumstances. We focus on improving our health, following our
diets and fixing our outward situations.
We try to find ways to solve all of our problems and set goals to
achieve better results in the New Year.
Notice that I used the pronoun “we?”
That’s right, each of us tries to solve the problems of our lives
sometimes without even talking to God about His ideas and plans for us. Sure, we often times ask Him to bless our
plans and to help us with those plans, but we don’t always ask him if those are
the plans He has for us. Our focus is
off. Maybe we should put our focus back
on the One who gives us life and see what His plans and desires are for us?
In our
society, the self-help books all talk about creating an inner drive and setting
goals to achieve them. Now, I’m not
saying that goal setting is bad, but what I am saying is that achieving a
wonderful and joy-filled life is found only when we live with a deep dependence
on our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.
When our dependence rests solely on our shoulders, the load is heavy and
the goals we set often times fail. The
word “dependence” has a rather negative connotation in our society. We associate dependence with weakness and not
success. Yet, it is through our weaknesses
that God can work best. When we come
before Him with an open, humble and dependent heart--with all of our
weaknesses, mistakes, failures and hurts hanging out--we learn to rely on
God.
As we go
into the second week of 2013, I encourage you to learn to let the Light
of God’s Presence soak over you and through you. Let His Light engulf your whole being – mind,
body and spirit. Find a quiet time to be
alone with God. Let Him direct your
day. Learn to rely on Him, not just in
your desperation, but every day of your life.
He longs to
have time with you! And time with God
will strengthen your whole being. Trust
Him to reveal the goals He has for you in 2013.
Allow Him to surprise you! The
goals He sets are goals that have an eternal consequence and will bring you
unbelievable rewards! When you put God
in YOUR driver’s seat, look out! You are
going to have a journey that will lead you through unexpected twists and turns
that will change your life forever. All
you have to do is hang on tight and open your heart to His leading!
"A new
heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you. I will take away the stony heart, and I will
put my spirit within you." (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
Here’s a
song that talks about changing our hearts and having God’s Spirit live in each
of us.
As you walk into this New Year, may the blessings of God surround you and direct your path. And may your heart be open to God’s many plans for you this year.
To the
Glory of God!
Pastor
Carol
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