Happy New Year to everyone! It is hard to believe that 2011 has already passed. It seems like yesterday when we were ready to usher in a new millenium, and fears abounded that everything was going to crash when 1999 rolled over to 2000! That fear never did materialize, as most of our fears don’t. But the truth of the matter is that eleven years have passed already since that time. I remember years ago hearing my pastor preach a message from James 4:14. “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” We are here on this earth but for a short time. I have been asking myself how I have been spending my years. As a pastor, am I doing everything I can to serve the Lord the way He wants me to serve Him? Am I being the husband and father I ought to be? I don’t want to be satisfied with just trying…I want to be successful. I want results.
Before us lies a brand new year with no mistakes. I have determined to break away from insanity. You have heard that great definition of insanity, haven’t you? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results! I have resolved this year not to be insane! I preached a message to the church from Psalm 90:12. “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” We must number our days. In light of 11 years going by in what seems to be “over night,” I want to grasp that my time on this earth is getting shorter with each passing day, and soon I will give an account to God of my life. I want each day to count. I don’t want a whole day to go by where I must say when I lay my head on the pillow that I got nothing accomplished for the Lord. The only way for that to happen is to set goals for what God wants us to do, and then come up with tasks each day that will work us toward achieving those goals. Perhaps a goal for your life this year is to be a better father. What will you do TODAY to further that goal? Maybe you could listen to a preaching message on fatherhood, or maybe take your child out to lunch. Maybe it will be to begin family devotions. Will you start tonight, or will another day go by where you wish you had done something? We have to set goals, then do things each day to make that goal a reality.
This is what the Lord put on my heart for 2012. I want to stop wishing I had done more, and actually start working to do more. May He give us the victory!!!
