Listening to the Holy Spirit:
Today is given anew. The past behind, and only for the lessons of life learned. Begin again. A start again to a holy life, elevated by My Spirit and presence deeper in your life. The past holds no power on My beloved, washed away through My atoning love, and a new hand offered that you might be lifted from the weight of guilt and remorse, forgiveness that you may walk anew. Bring the fresh scent into your place of labor. The old has passed; the new has been given. Take to your family the Spirit of grace, as grace has been given to you. Refresh and renew as you have been forgiven. And now the sun rises again to light your way, giving warmth to you that are blessed. Begin anew, for I call you forth with new hope and strength renewed.
Rom 6:4 (ESV) – We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
Rom 6:23 (ESV) – For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Gal 2:20 (ESV) – I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Taking It to Work:
Ok, today is the first day of the rest of your life. Every one of us, without exception, want to improve in the coming year. Whether it be in our careers, whether it be in our finances, our health or our own questionable behavior at times. We all know though, that nothing really changes unless something changes to drive the change in us. So what should that change be?
The same change you have already experienced. The change that already altered the course of not only your life here on earth, but for your life for all eternity: Getting right with God.
When you bent your knee to the great God of the universe, when you repented of your sinful ways, when you promised to dedicate your life to Him and follow Him wherever He led you, when Jesus became your Lord, everything changed. You got right with God, and that kicked off a thousand other changes in your life.
If we want this coming year to be better than the last, we need that again. We need to get right with God again! Sound like heresy? It’s not. If we took an honest look at last year, if we all watched a video of ourselves at our worst moments, we would conclude that we were often not operating at peak spiritual efficiency. Much of the time we were running on our own steam, following our own path, not praying enough, not in the Bible enough, worrying too much, falling to our old tendencies and habits, and often focused too long on the wrong things. In general, not living our best life and not behaving as our best self.
More new year will power will not change any of that, not for long anyway. What will change that, is the same thing that changed it the first time – making God the priority again, repenting, following His agenda, dedicating your work and family to Him again, and getting back into spending time with and following your Lord.
Jesus changes everything. His Holy Spirit within you, when given first chair, improves you, edifies, instructs and sanctifies you. Everything from that point changes for the better – your patience level, your demeanor, your resistance to temptation, how you see others, even your job performance. You think clearer, make better decisions, and the Godly confidence and character that comes with walking closely with God again, returns.
We as Christians forget that prayer of submission and repentance that brought us into relationship with God is not a one-and-done prayer. It kicked off an eternal change, but the transformation is not complete. Rededication, realignment, and re-repenting, are all required, for real, permanent change in our lives. Find time do that, often, as His Word works in you, this year.
