Happy New Year Jesus -2023
Let’s start the year by saying, “Happy New Year Jesus!” As Christians, we have committed to both following and serving Jesus every day of the year. Why not start today by committing yourself to be all He has asked you to be?
Be Resolute
You do not need to make a lot of NewYears’ Resolutions. What Jesus asks of you is to love each other. If you are sincere about your faith you must take a big step and love without asking anything in return.
Jesus gave Himself for you while you were still in rebellion against Him. He showed us how we were to love sacrificially putting others first. He even gave a new command just for us. Jesus says, 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. John 13:34 NKJV
Consider this commandment every day when you start your day. Be resolute to do what Jesus asks. If you are one of those who make resolutions every year, make this one first on your list. Then repeat it a couple of times.
Jesus is so serious about this command that He repeats it as a statement of faith. 15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. John 14:15 NKJV Do you love Jesus or yourself more? If you love Him you will love others and consider them more important than yourself.
This will be a new year
For this to be a better year we have to put Jesus first. Paul says it this way, 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 NKJV
You need to forget any failures you had last year and face this year with new resolve. Paul had problems doing all that he wanted to do. He had accomplished great things in the spreading of the good news of God’s salvation through Christ. However, he knew that there was much more to do.
You need to have a new year with Jesus. Start fresh and don’t think about what may have been last year. This is the year you are facing and this is the year you can make a difference in people’s lives by introducing them to Jesus.
If you believe in Jesus you must share what He has done for you with others. You can not love and not share. Jesus in your heart compels you to tell others. To be excited about what He has done and what He is doing is a part of your being.
You need a resolution
You plan your life and what you will do daily, weekly and monthly. Why not make a plan to tell others about Jesus and what He has done for you?
Your time on earth is very short and you need to use every minute as best as you can. That is why we plan. Yet our plans are based on assumptions that we know what will happen in our daily lives and that we can change events that we have no control over.
James says that your idea of being in control is not founded on facts. He says, “14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:14-15 NKJV
Open your eyes to the life you are living. Is it what you want to be doing if Jesus comes today? We do not have a guarantee that we will live through the day. There are so many things that can happen to us.
The only thing we can be sure of is that what we do in Jesus’ name will last through eternity. So I plead with you to work to make your life count for God. Life is short. At eighty I can say that it went by fast and many of the plans I made will never happen.
Plan your service to God.
Plan to pray and study your Bible. Be resolute in your preparation to serve God. Don’t let the lack of knowledge hold you back. You can tell someone what Jesus has done for you and the peace and joy you have without a lot of Bible knowledge.
This does not mean that you should not study and learn the scriptures you will need at times to reach people. You need to study the Bible because it will make you a stronger person and a better servant of the Lord. Each time you read it the Holy Spirit will point out to you new truths.
Timothy says, 15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV
This is good advice and should be a part of your growth plan for this new year. Let your new year with Jesus be marked by a growth in Bible knowledge and fearless witness.
Remember to glorify God
Whatever you do this year, let us resolve to give God glory for all He has done and is now doing in our lives. If you stop and think there is very little reason for us to pat ourselves on the back. Even if it is something good you did, it was with the talents that God gave you.
It is God that forgives and purifies us. I tried for many years to change the way I acted and the way I lived and only made surface changes. God is the only one who can change the heart.
Jesus brings real change to our lives as we work and witness for Him. God promises that, 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
There is nothing we can do to make ourselves righteous. Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse us from all our sins.
It is up to us to lay our petitions before God and seek His blessings. We should not worry but trust solely in God’s blessings. Paul tells us, “6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
It is our job to share this peace that passes all understanding with the world as we come into contact with it.
So, share Jesus, share His divine love and His mercy with everyone you meet.
Commit yourself to share the Lord Jesus Christ with everyone you know or meet in 2023.
May God bless and keep you!