Saturday, January 9, 2016

THE NEW YEAR CAME AND THE OLD LEFT AND I MISSED IT!


Well here we are in the New Year once again, all sparkly and fresh like a new snow fall ready for us to make foot prints in. I'm glad it's here, but I'm really not much for New Year celebrations. This year I had a hard day at work and was fast asleep in bed by 9:30 p.m. So, the New Year came in the old one ended and I missed it, but it really didn't need my awareness to happen anyway. After all, men set the date of the year, but God created the world, makes the days and that never changes.

How are you looking at the New Year? Myself, I'm looking at it with hope! Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 about folks who have no hope and I afraid that includes far too many in or world. Hope of what? Hope of eternal life, hope of a better life now, not based upon what we do necessarily, but based upon our relationship to Christ.
I love the line from Anne of Green Gables where she says, “Each day is fresh and brand new with no mistakes”. That of course is true, but it usually doesn't stay that way very long, simply because we are human and mess up far too often, (1 John 1:10).

I love what Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:3, that “God has begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”. Wow! “a lively hope”… in the Greek that means “Not lifeless, not dead, but vital and strong”. (Strong's)

How is you hope and what are hoping in? I saw a sign the other day that said, “Life is full of choices, the problem is that sometimes we make stupid choices!” Some times I make stupid choices, but not when I choose to hope in Christ, to hope for eternal life, to hope of a better life here in this world because of my hope and trust in Christ Jesus.

There is an old hymn that declares, “My hope is built on nothing less that Jesus' blood and righteousness.” I hope you can can sing this song with all of your heart.