We all have hopes for the New Year, whether we express them to any else or not. You may be thinking that losing a few pounds or saving a few dollars would be a worthwhile goal for 2015, or maybe you have other goals in mind. Psalm 127: 1 (one written by Solomon) reminds us:
“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.”
The way to make this year a great one is to first give it to the Lord. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we scrap all of our personal plans. If something is good for us as in healthier habits or more responsible living, I don’t think God would have a problem with that. But what is the goal? If the goal is for us to say, “Hey, look at me, I’m doing great this year” then God won’t be on board. If our goal is to put him first and live from the position that we are in partnership with God then that brings praise to God.
The apostle Paul shared this with the Corinthian church:
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
I Corinthians 10:31
The goal for my life needs to be to live in such a way that my life reflects Christ’s life living in me. My life needs to demonstrate to the world God’s presence and influence in my life. Now that may seem like the opposite of what I would want. We live in a very narcissistic society that proclaims the greatest good is getting what I want. The Christian message runs counter to that, it says “God, what do you want in my life.” The world says that can’t make us happy and yet the world is a very unhappy place. Unfortunately many Christians look just as unhappy because they really haven’t surrendered to the belief of letting God have his way. So this year our number one goal should be to let go of self and let God build the house, our lives.
In Christ,
Don
“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.”
The way to make this year a great one is to first give it to the Lord. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we scrap all of our personal plans. If something is good for us as in healthier habits or more responsible living, I don’t think God would have a problem with that. But what is the goal? If the goal is for us to say, “Hey, look at me, I’m doing great this year” then God won’t be on board. If our goal is to put him first and live from the position that we are in partnership with God then that brings praise to God.
The apostle Paul shared this with the Corinthian church:
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
I Corinthians 10:31
The goal for my life needs to be to live in such a way that my life reflects Christ’s life living in me. My life needs to demonstrate to the world God’s presence and influence in my life. Now that may seem like the opposite of what I would want. We live in a very narcissistic society that proclaims the greatest good is getting what I want. The Christian message runs counter to that, it says “God, what do you want in my life.” The world says that can’t make us happy and yet the world is a very unhappy place. Unfortunately many Christians look just as unhappy because they really haven’t surrendered to the belief of letting God have his way. So this year our number one goal should be to let go of self and let God build the house, our lives.
In Christ,
Don
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