364 Tomorrows - New Years 2012

364 Tomorrows - New Years 2012

Scripture references:

Isaiah 46:10 NIV

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Revelation 21:6 NIV

He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.

Message:

Here we are the first day of a New Year full of unknown possibilities and potential problems. You can view the New Year ahead as a welcomed gift or as a weary list of days to endure. It all depends on your perspective.

I heard a good toast over the holidays for the New Year – May all your troubles last as long as your New Years resolutions. I thought that was kind of profound and honest.

We have all made New Years resolutions only to see them abandoned in a short time so my hope for you in 2012 is that your troubles will indeed end as quickly as your New Years resolutions.

Starting something new can be an intimidating thing a new diet, a new exercise program, a new hobby or a new job but how about a new attitude?

How should we the followers of Jesus Christ look at this New Year?

We should look at it from the vantage point of scripture.

2 Timothy 3:16 NIV (Paul)

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

Since that’s the case scripture can tell us how we should approach the New Year by applying God’s word and by not putting too much trust in the words of man.

Even before we got to 2012 there were those who were already predicting all kinds of – things to come. These visionaries took the safe route predicting both good and bad events but they can not be certain of what tomorrow holds for only our Heavenly Father holds tomorrow in His hands.

Our Bibles remind us that we can take God at His word – every time.

Matthew 24:35 - Mark 13:31 NIV – Luke 21:33 it is repeated so that it echoes from the page.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

So come what may everything is in God’s hands and that includes our good days and our bad days.

Isaiah 46:10 NIV

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.

I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

We sometimes forget that this grand experience that we call life has been put in place for God’s purposes and not our own. For some reason God made it possible for you and me to be alive in the year 2012. He has his plans and they involve our participation. Our Father knows the details even if they seem to escape us here and now. All we have to do is walk with Him in love and obedience. The rest will work itself out according to His Holy will.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

The wisest man to have lived apart from Jesus Christ is considered to be King Solomon and these are his words of wisdom that still teach and encourage us today.

Maybe your life right now is not so beautiful. Maybe you have been dealt some terrible disappointments along the way and suffered some overwhelming heart ache. I can tell you this - that no one escapes these things and that these difficult times need not weigh you down. God takes each of our lives and with the worst of our days He still crafts a wonderful and beautiful masterpiece out of our lives. All we need do is trust the Master’s Hand as He brings us each new tomorrow. When it is all said and done we will marvel at the beauty that God has made out of the burdens that we sometimes experience. The secret ingredient is TIME.

For us as Christians time is on our side for all authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Jesus Christ. Matthew 28:18. Jesus is the clock key of time. One day He will appear and we will see Him in His glory and every care and burden will disappear as Jesus re-sets time as we know it.