Happy New Year !
January 6, 2017
Philippians 3:13 (NLV)
13 No, Christian brothers, I do not have that life yet. But I do one thing. I forget everything that is behind me and look forward to that which is ahead of me.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NLV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for well-being and not for trouble, to give you a future and a hope.
Lamentations 3:22-24 (NLT)
22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends![a] His mercies never cease.
23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”
Isaiah 43:18-19 (NLV)
18 “Do not remember the things that have happened before. Do not think about the things of the past. 19 See, I will do a new thing. It will begin happening now. Will you not know about it? I will even make a road in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
When I was a child I heard my dad say several times, ” the older you get the faster time goes”. During those early years it seemed as though it would take Christmas forever to come. Boy have things changed! It almost seems like we are having Christmas every six months.
Now that I am older and a bit wiser I fully understand what my dad was saying, and it really does seem to ring true. Although we still have the same number of days in a year as we did when I was a child growing up, time just seems to fly by.I think that as we began to live more purposeful and intentional it seems that there is just never enough time to complete our long to do list.
As we embark upon this New Year, I would like to encourage you to first of all, see it as a blessing from God. What a blessing it is that we have lived to see this New Year, and secondly, that it is an opportunity to set current goals or to realign, recalibrate and refocus on old goals. It is a fresh start, a clean page so to speak. One that we get to write a better story on. Notice I said a better story. That should be the real goal. Our focus should always be to become better. So may I ask, have you decided what story you will write for yourself this year? May I suggest that whatever your story is, that it is intentional and that you spend time in consulting with God before you start writing on this fresh page called 2017.
Be still so that you can hear His voice guiding you.
The word intentional is defined as; an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned action.
As you set your goals, remember to write them down and date them, also write down your goal completion date. Without a date it is only a dream. Create your plan of action and most importantly determine who will benefit from you reaching your goals. This automatically creates your Why. Many goals never become reality because the person setting the goal does not have a strong enough Why, to keep them motivated to succeed. I encourage you to set goals that bring honor and glory to God and that have eternal purpose and that blesses others. Remember a blessed life comes from a life of blessing others.
As your time quickly rolls by make sure that you are always living intentional.
Be intentional to give God the first hour of your day each and every day, after all you will still have 23 hours left to work and do other things. Be intentional also to give Him the glory when your goals succeed. God loves a grateful heart so definitely be intentional about gratitude.
Remember God created you on purpose and for purpose, and to stay in step with that purpose you must stay connected to your source of purpose.
As you stay in this intentional living mode, be sure you frequently set aside time to nourish and enjoy the relationships that are important and dear to you. Take time to rest and relax your body when it needs it. I am learning as I get older that taking better care of myself gives me more stamina for this intentional journey that I am on and it will do the same for you. I have also learned that busyness does not equal significance, so choose wisely the things you become involved with this year. Many times less is more. Choose goals and project to be intentional about that you are truly passionate about and that align with your purpose and what you feel like God is leading you to do. Keep in mind also that just because something is a good work, it doesn’t mean it’s good for you, if that is not where God has directed, or is leading you to be. Be sure you are listening for His voice. To go a step farther, whatever you do, don’t waste time on things that don’t matter.
I know that you will accomplish great things during this year of intentional living and my prayer is that the quality of your life will be richer and more fulfilling. I also pray that this will be a year that you grow closer to God than ever before, and that you get to experience the wonderful new things that only He can do, .and will do through you this year.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not trust in your own understanding. 6 Agree with Him in all your ways, and He will make your paths straight.
Psalm 20:4 (NLV)
4 May He give you the desire of your heart, and make all your plans go well.
Psalm 65:11 (NLV)
11 You crown the year with Your good gifts. There is more than enough where You have been.
Have a Blessed and a Happy New Year!
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