A New Year, A New Beginning, A Renewed Resolution

Guess what Brothers and Sisters, you’ve done it! You have made it through another year. The New Year is here. January 2017. It’s a brand new year.

• A year full of possibilities.

• A year full of opportunities.

• 12 months. 52 weeks. 365 days.

• 8,760 hours. 525,600 minutes and 31,536,000 seconds.

What in the world will you do with all this time?

Many of us are determined to do things differently. We have very good intentions to work hard at change.

• To lose weight,

• To exercise more.

• To be a better person.

• To stop drinking

• To stop smoking

• To stop hating our brothers and sisters

• To stop those bad habits that bring us down

• To start good habits that bring us around

• To stop avoiding God’s word.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that every year almost all of the major newspapers, magazines and internet post predict what they expect to see happening in the New Year. Some even go so far as to make predictions about this year and others to come. In the past, a few of these predictions have proven amazingly accurate, while others couldn’t have been more wrong. The bottom line is “We are not in control”. AMEN

Back in the late 60’s, a time when some of you weren’t even born, the so called experts predicted that by the turn of the century technology would’ve taken over so much of our work that the average person would only work 22 hours in one week. Not 40 hours, just 22 hours.

They also predicted that we would work only 27 of the 52 weeks in a year. Isn’t that something!

This should have happened in the 70’s. But it didn’t happen because it wasn’t time. God is still in control. A M E N

Well, I don’t know about you, but that prediction certainly missed the mark. We had to get up and go to work every day! We may have complained, but we were blessed to have a job.

In fact, now a days, most of us are very busy. We’re always in a hurry.

• We walk fast,

• We talk fast,

• We txt and tweet fast,

• We drink fast,

• We eat fast.

• And after we eat, we stand up and say, "Excuse me. I’ve gotta run."

That’s us Lord, a society in a hurry. We haven’t fully realized yet, that God is in control! AMEN

So, here we are, on the first Sunday of 2017. I wonder what we’ll do this new year.

• Will we be as busy?

• Will we make any better use of our time?

In 365 days, when the 2017 year is over:

• Will we be looking back at it with joy,

• Will we be looking back at it with regret?

• Will we be looking at the future with anticipation,

• Will we be looking at the future with dread?

• Will we have done anything different?

• Will we have gotten to know GOD!

Ephesians 5:15-17, says “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

My message today is “A New Year, A New Beginning, and A Renewed Resolution” A M E N

Now, we may not want to admit it but, our time on this earth is limited, so

• We should make the most of every opportunity, and understand what the lord’s will is.

• We should develop a positive outlook toward life, and understand what the lord’s will is.

• We should have a positive attitude toward others, and understand what the lord’s will is.

• We should develop a positive attitude toward the church, and understand what the lord’s will is.

• We should study the Lord’s word in order to understand what the lord’s will is.

Think about how we live, Think very careful. Don’t leave anything out, because our time on this earth is limited. We all go through life and every day someone loses a loved one. More and more we realize just how short life is, and just how special time with loved ones are.

Psalm 39:4 says LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.

We go to bed every night believing we will wake up in the morning. We almost believe we’ll live forever. We’re in essence sleeping with blinders on. But we don’t make that choice! Our life is in God’s hand.

Psalm 90:10 says "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.