A New Beginning
Today marks the beginning of a new year, and a new journey for you and me. It is a time to look forward with great anticipation to what God might have in store for your life, but it is also a time to reflect on the past year. For many, this is a time to set goals or “resolutions.” I’ve made many resolutions through the years only to break them a month or two later. Many of the goals people set at the beginning of the year are centered around health, money, or one’s career. But what about your spiritual life? As the new year begins, are you giving thought to a new beginning in your walk with Christ? Allow me to consider four things you should do today as you begin the New Year:
1. Reflect.
What has God been doing in your life over the past year? As you look back over 2024, hopefully you will recognize God’s activity in your life. As you reflect, you will see the ways God has guided you, and the ways in which He has protected you. At the same time, perhaps as you reflect over the past year you may discover missed opportunities; there may be things you would have done differently, or things you simply would not have done at all.
Reflection is so critical to our spiritual journeys, because without knowing where we have been, we cannot know fully where we need to go. By reflecting on the past year, you will have a better understanding of where you are in relation to your walk with Christ, and what adjustments will need to be made so that you can grow deeper in that walk with Him.
2. Reject.
There are many things in my life where I want to improve. I imagine you feel the same. And for that to happen, that usually means there are things in my life that I need to put aside. If I want to be more healthy, there are foods that I need to avoid. If I want to be a better steward of the money God entrusts me with, there are ways I can stop wasting money. If you are going to grow closer to Christ, there are going to be areas of your life where you will need to adjust. In Ephesians 4, Paul exhorts believers to “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through its evil desires…” (Ephesians 4:22)
What will you reject this year so that you might be drawn closer to Christ? I will tell you, from experience, that this is only possible by resting in the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In my strength, I will fail. But when I rest in the grace of Jesus, and allow His Spirit to guide my mind and heart, He will enable me (and you) to turn from the things that would keep us from growing in Christ.
3. Rest.
Four years ago, a virus called COVID forced all of us to slow down. We were isolated in our homes with our families, and many of the things that kept us running came to a screeching halt. But when we were finally released from our cages, we resumed our busyness. It is good and necessary that we cultivate the rhythm of rest into our lives. Please hear me - rest is not laziness, and busyness is not godliness. Quite frankly, one of the most spiritual things any of us could do this next year is to learn that their is wisdom to having more margin in our lives.
Psalm 46:1 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” I have concluded in my own life that learning to rest creates opportunities for me to stop and focus on the Lord. Perhaps you have your calendar laid out in front of you today, and you are already hurrying to fill in the empty spaces with events. Let me suggest that you keep most of that space blank, and ask God to help you prioritize your time, so that you are working and living in such a way that you are putting your time with the Lord first.
4. Recommit.
Whatever has happened over the past year, and wherever you find yourself today in your spiritual life, the new year is an opportunity to recommit your ways unto the Lord. Take a moment now to pray, and recommit your heart and life to the Lord. Ask Him to fill you afresh with His Holy Spirit. Recommit yourself to God’s Word. Spend time each day in the Word of God, and watch how He will take His Word and do a work of renewal within your heart. You don’t have to read 3-4 chapters each day. Just read a chapter, or a portion of a chapter. Meditate on His Word day and night.
Recommit your family to the Lord. Pray with your spouse, and if you have children at home, pray with them. One of the best things you can do to recommit your family to the Lord is to plant yourself firmly in the life of the local church. Be involved. Serve your church family. If you have become so busy with other things that attending church with your family has been squeezed out, then right now is a great time to recommit yourself to making sure church attendance is a priority. It will help you grow spiritually, and God will use you to bless others.
I’m looking forward to sharing more with you through this blog throughout the upcoming year. I am looking forward to seeing everything that God has in store. I pray that you and your family have a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!
In Christ,
Bro. Carl