"Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert."
-Isaiah 43: 18-19
nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert."
-Isaiah 43: 18-19
Two Thousand Fourteen.
This will be a year to remember. A year teeming with new opportunities and overflowing with abundant life. The good plans that God has prepared for this year is waiting in the wings, just dying for us to walk in them center stage (Eph. 2:10).
I learned a lot of lessons in Two Thousand Thirteen. The path I am currently walking is completely different than the one I had expected to be walking this time last year. I had no idea that on January 5, 2014 I would be living off-campus, driving a Subaru Forrester, have spent four months abroad, be single, or be applying to missionary programs for post-graduation. I thought I had everything figured out and that my plans were sufficient to please God, but boy was I wrong. I thought that I was happy, but I really had no idea what true happiness was. I thought I had faith in God, but I've learned I still have so little comprehension of what faith is or the power it has. I could go on and on about the things that I thought I knew and tell you how God has taught me differently, but we would be here all day.
Instead, I want to talk about some resolutions.
I resolve to take every moment captive and not let a day go by wasted. I resolve to make positivity the backbone of my attitude. I resolve to cast away fear and claim the power of the Spirit who lives inside of me. I resolve to see the world through the eyes of my Creator. I resolve to put romance on hold and learn how to let my Savior's love be enough. I resolve to push the boundaries of this world and break down the guards I have put up all my life.
I resolve to have life and have it abundantly.
After all, that's why Jesus came to earth as our Savior. He doesn't want us to be destroyed. He won't let us be stolen (John 10:10). He won't stop chasing us till our days are over. If we don't see this--if we don't take hold of his promises--then we have completely missed life. It's not that walking with Jesus makes life all peachy-keen, it's that walking with Jesus makes us people worth being alive. You could be cheated on, betrayed by your friends, stripped of your home, diagnosed with a fatal disease, fired from your job, or left for dead, and goodness could still be filling every moment of your life. The goodness God has prepared for us to walk in is not circumstantial. It doesn't come in a tangible form. Instead it comes through Character. Integrity. Nobility. Honesty. Faithfulness. Righteousness. Optimism. Graciousness. Love.
These are the things we ought to be focusing on. These are the things that set the members of Christ's body apart. These are the things that make life good and worth living. Perfect joy and perfect peace are available, even amongst the horrors and tragedies that darken each day. So forget the former things. Leave the old way of living behind. Step out of the shadows and into the light. God is doing a new thing, can't you see it? He can turn the wilderness into a thriving metropolis and he can make the barren desert a land bursting with new waters (Isaiah 43:18-19).
Two Thousand Fourteen is a land bursting with new waters. Let this be THE year of all years.
This will be a year to remember. A year teeming with new opportunities and overflowing with abundant life. The good plans that God has prepared for this year is waiting in the wings, just dying for us to walk in them center stage (Eph. 2:10).
I learned a lot of lessons in Two Thousand Thirteen. The path I am currently walking is completely different than the one I had expected to be walking this time last year. I had no idea that on January 5, 2014 I would be living off-campus, driving a Subaru Forrester, have spent four months abroad, be single, or be applying to missionary programs for post-graduation. I thought I had everything figured out and that my plans were sufficient to please God, but boy was I wrong. I thought that I was happy, but I really had no idea what true happiness was. I thought I had faith in God, but I've learned I still have so little comprehension of what faith is or the power it has. I could go on and on about the things that I thought I knew and tell you how God has taught me differently, but we would be here all day.
Instead, I want to talk about some resolutions.
I resolve to take every moment captive and not let a day go by wasted. I resolve to make positivity the backbone of my attitude. I resolve to cast away fear and claim the power of the Spirit who lives inside of me. I resolve to see the world through the eyes of my Creator. I resolve to put romance on hold and learn how to let my Savior's love be enough. I resolve to push the boundaries of this world and break down the guards I have put up all my life.
I resolve to have life and have it abundantly.
After all, that's why Jesus came to earth as our Savior. He doesn't want us to be destroyed. He won't let us be stolen (John 10:10). He won't stop chasing us till our days are over. If we don't see this--if we don't take hold of his promises--then we have completely missed life. It's not that walking with Jesus makes life all peachy-keen, it's that walking with Jesus makes us people worth being alive. You could be cheated on, betrayed by your friends, stripped of your home, diagnosed with a fatal disease, fired from your job, or left for dead, and goodness could still be filling every moment of your life. The goodness God has prepared for us to walk in is not circumstantial. It doesn't come in a tangible form. Instead it comes through Character. Integrity. Nobility. Honesty. Faithfulness. Righteousness. Optimism. Graciousness. Love.
These are the things we ought to be focusing on. These are the things that set the members of Christ's body apart. These are the things that make life good and worth living. Perfect joy and perfect peace are available, even amongst the horrors and tragedies that darken each day. So forget the former things. Leave the old way of living behind. Step out of the shadows and into the light. God is doing a new thing, can't you see it? He can turn the wilderness into a thriving metropolis and he can make the barren desert a land bursting with new waters (Isaiah 43:18-19).
Two Thousand Fourteen is a land bursting with new waters. Let this be THE year of all years.
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