A New Year!

When the clock strikes midnight on 12/31, another year will pass and usher in the new. As one year closes, another opens. The passing of time, particularly at the New Year, allows for reflection and rejuvenation. I’m sure many of you will make resolutions physical, spiritual, and relational. I pray, right now, that God grants you the diligence and determination to keep them.

For me and my family particularly, this passing of 2018 into 2019 has invited a great season of thanksgiving for all God has done in our lives this year. He has moved us to a new place, a new ministry, and a renewed zeal to seek and serve Him.

I’m sure, though, for some, the passing year may be a godsend. Some reading this right now may be hoping that loss, trial, frustration, or difficulty may be passing too when the clock strikes midnight.

As I contemplate the spectrum of emotions that a New Year brings for many, I’m reminded that whether we come to this transition with thanks, regrets, or anxieties, God has a word for us.

13 Brothers…one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

Are you regretting a year of self-inflicted pains? Repent. And press on toward Christ.

Are you wishing that the changing clock will wash away the aching loss in your heart from life changes you couldn’t control? Hope. And press on toward Christ.

Are you anticipating the New Year with eagerness of all God will do? Look ahead. And press on toward Christ.

Are you awaiting with thankfulness a fulfilling year of God’s bounty and goodness? Praise. And press on toward Christ.

The recipe—indeed the resolution—for each of us is the same: press toward Christ. So whether you celebrate, sing, sit alone, or sleep in the turning to 2019, do so with Jesus as your focal point. And let’s see what He will do!

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