By Rick Cowman
As we look forward to a new year, I have a question for you. It’s been a tradition in this column at the end of each year to ask this question, so here it is again: “What kind of year will 2010 be?” Or, perhaps I could ask, “What are you resolving to do differently in 2010 which will make this year a better year than 2009?”
My point is, what we have learned (or not learned) this past year will in a great way determine what the year ahead will be like! If we haven’t learned anything from the mistakes and sins we committed last year, what makes us think they won’t repeat this year? Our life patterns will be repeated in our future unless we unload the baggage of the past now. You see, unresolved issues in our past will continue to effect our lives until they have been dealt with according to the power of the truth of God’s Word! They will not only affect us personally, but also our relationship with others and with our walk with God.
God’s Word stands true: “Don’t be misled; remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it. A man will always reap the kind of crop he sows (Galatians 6:7, TLB)!” This is the principle of the harvest: We will reap what we sow, we will reap more than we sow, and we will reap later than we sow. What we have been sowing this past year will be reaped in the next and those following. If we are trusting God and walking in obedience to His Word, we can expect God’s best. But if we choose to ignore the truth, we can expect life to be rough, because we can’t ignore truth and get away with it. The good news is, if we allow the Holy Spirit to show us the sinful and self-destructive patterns in our lives and respond to God in obedience, then the year in front of us can be a great year!
We have before us a new year of fresh opportunities to grow in our walk with Jesus as His followers. Because of God’s wonderful grace, it is a year of new beginnings, new hopes, and new dreams! It can be a year of experiencing God’s best in your life, marriage, family, church and career. But it starts by taking steps, even baby steps of faith and obedience to our heavenly Father! You see, doing right things bring right results. If you are not a follower of Jesus and have never trusted Him to come into your life, then this could truly be a year of new beginnings if you trust Him now! So, what do you resolve to do different this new year?
What have I learned this past year? I’ve learned (not that I didn’t already know) that I’m not a very disciplined person. I don’t spend the time that I should in God’s Word. I don’t spend the time I should training my kids to love and serve God. And these truths about me frustrate me! But I’ve also learned that God is always faithful, even when I fall so far short of what I need to be. I’m learning to trust Him more and more as I realize how little I can do in my own abilities and understanding. So, what do I resolve to do different in 2010? I resolve to let go of past regrets of missed opportunities of yesterday and make new opportunities today! I’m trusting God to help me be a better manager of the resources He has entrusted to me so I can accomplish the things that are truly important, rather than things that seem urgent or necessary. Spending more time mentoring my children is at the top of the list. I’ve made some great headway this past year, but I’m not where I want to be!
As I face this new year, it’s my prayer that God will give me strength, courage, and grace to be a more consistent leader of my family, and that my kids will know from examining my life that there is no greater thing in life than knowing Jesus and serving Him!
May you, your family, and your Church experience God’s best in the new year!
