Every Day Is A New Day
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
-- 2 Corinthians 5:17
There’s something about January 1st that fills us with possibilities. It’s a new start. A fresh day. We set goals. We make plans. Our hearts are filled with joy at what might be.
Then the next day comes and things aren’t quite as bright. We slept in and didn’t spend time with God before our day started. We judged someone without knowing that person’s situation. We yelled at our spouse -- again.
Life isn’t perfect and it rarely fits into our grandiose plans. Our dreams are usually quite big. Nothing wrong with that. They rarely include specific small steps that are actually achievable. And sometimes, maybe most times, we’ve neglected to put God first.
It’s easy to talk about what we’re going to do. But how often do we ask God if our dreams are in line with His will for us? We’re so busy asking God to bless our plans and our hopes that we neglect to seek Him until after we’ve got all our goals in place.
Plans are awesome things. It’s important to have goals and to strive to better ourselves. But the Bible clearly tells us to seek God first. Not second and certainly not last.
What does God want you to do this year? Spend more time with Him. Focus on showing others His love. Living your life for Him. Doing what is right even in the face of evil.
Stop making excuses. If you want to grow closer to God, make spending time with Him a priority. Get up earlier. Stay up later. Carve out time each day for Him. Write it down. Put it on your calendar. God is more important than anything else.
Take small steps if you must. Read a Bible verse and devotional every day. You’ll soon want to do more. A little bit of God is never enough.
Then give yourself a break. Seriously. We all mess up. We all fall short of what we want from ourselves. And we all fail God every single day. Falling short today, or even this week, isn’t an excuse to quit.
Every day is a new day. Not just January 1st. Every day. So do the very best you can, striving always to put God first and be the person He has called you to be. And when you fail -- and you will -- ask for forgiveness, learn from it, and go on.
Fill yourself with the hope that is in Christ Jesus. Live your life focused on eternity. Be true to the unique person that you are. Trust God to take care of the rest.
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