Moving Forward in the New Year

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:8-14

This is New Year’s day.  It marks the beginning of a new year.  Thinking about a new year is a wonderful thing.  2015 is a blank slate – clean and ready for us do with it all that we can and will.  I always like to think of these verses to start a new year.  We need to forget some things that are behind and we need to press forward to things that are in front of us.  We need to let go of our failures and successes from previous years and strive toward new successes in this year.

Happy New Year to all who may read this and may the coming year bring you closer to our Lord Jesus Christ!

Doing Good in the New Year

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Galatians 6:7-11

I enjoy this part of the year because we can start to look forward to the New Year.  The New Year is an interesting time in which we can look back at the blessing, the triumphs and failures, the challenges, and the twists and turns from the past year.  But, at the same time, we can look forward to the next year.  No matter how good our previous year was, we can always be better!  In the next few days, we will look at some verses related to the New Year.

This passage deals with sowing and reaping.  Sometimes we think of this passage in fear, thinking (rightly) that we don’t want to do evil things because we don’t want the results of those evil things.  We don’t want to sow evil because we don’t want to reap evil.  That is a good thing.  But we can also look at it in another way.  We can look at it from a positive standpoint.

We want to do the right things because we want the results that doing those right things will bring.  We want to sow good in order to reap good.  The law of sowing and reaping works both ways.

So, what should we do in this new year?  We need to, in the words of verse 10, “…do good unto all men…”  Just do right – all year long!

Help Others In The New Year

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.  Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.  For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

Galatians 6:1-3

I enjoy this part of the year because we can start to look forward to the New Year.  The New Year is an interesting time in which we can look back at the blessing, the triumphs and failures, the challenges, and the twists and turns from the past year.  But, at the same time, we can look forward to the next year.  No matter how good our previous year was, we can always be better!  In the next few days, we will look at some verses related to the New Year.

There are many “resolutions” that we could make in the new year.  Usually, those resolutions center on ourselves and on our physical lives – losing weight, eating healthier, saving money, etc.  Sometimes they even center on our spiritual lives – reading the Bible through, praying more, telling people about the Lord, etc.  But we might also consider a resolution dealing with how we treat others.

This passage tells us to help each other.  When we see that a brother or sister has fallen, we need to help them up.  Too often, we tend to get puffed up and we tend to look down on those who have stumbled or are stumbling.  But the Bible tells us to help each other and it tells us to not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think.  We are nothing without the grace and mercy of God.  We need to show that grace and mercy to others and that is something that we can all work on in the new year!

New Year, New Man

But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 

Ephesians 4:20-24

I enjoy this part of the year because we can start to look forward to the New Year.  The New Year is an interesting time in which we can look back at the blessing, the triumphs and failures, the challenges, and the twists and turns from the past year.  But, at the same time, we can look forward to the next year.  No matter how good our previous year was, we can always be better!  In the next few days, we will look at some verses related to the New Year.

In this passage, we are told to “…put on the new man.”  As Christians, we have two natures, the old man and the new man.  The old man is sinful.  The new man is created in Christ Jesus.  The old man want to sin.  The new man wants to do right.  There is and will always be a struggle between the two.  Just as we would look into the closet in the morning and put on one shirt or another, so each day (and even each moment) we must choose to serve the Lord or serve our flesh.  The Bible implores us to “put on the new man.”  We should serve the Lord.

In this coming year, let us do our best to put on the new man each and every day.  Let us do our best to serve the Lord and not ourselves!

New Things For a New Year

Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it?  I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.

Isaiah 48:6

I enjoy this part of the year because we can start to look forward to the New Year.  The New Year is an interesting time in which we can look back at the blessing, the triumphs and failures, the challenges, and the twists and turns from the past year.  But, at the same time, we can look forward to the next year.  No matter how good our previous year was, we can always be better!  In the next few days, we will look at some verses related to the New Year.

In this verse, we see that God says “I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.”  This may come as a shock, but we do not know everything.  There are things that we do not know.  You might know some of the things that I don’t know and I might know some of the things you don’t know.  The point is, there are a lot of things that we do not know.

But God does know all things.  God can show us and teach us things, and He has promised to do so.  In this New Year, we can look forward to learning and receiving the things that God wants to show and teach us.  We can ask Him to show and teach us many things this year.  And He will, if we will only pay attention.  Those things may be hidden now, but He can and will reveal them.

What can we learn about the Lord and from the Lord in the New Year?  Whatever it is, we need to be ready to receive it!