New Year’s Day 2009

To follow up the post on New Year’s Resolution, I want to look at a short passage of Scripture.

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15-16

We’ve got a whole new year ahead of us. As believers though, we’ve got eternity ahead of us. That never changes, no matter the date on the calendar. That means our goals, or resolutions, should never change, no matter what we do, it is to be done to glorify God. (I Cor 10:31)

The year ahead is always something we cannot predict. Things often take turns we didn’t expect. Our passage points out that the days are evil. We know, from Scripture, that the days will get worse as we draw closer to the end. We don’t know when that day will actually be (Matthew 24:36) but we know that they will be similar to the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37-38). Genesis 6:5 says “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” The days that we live in are truly no different. People are focused on the temporal, the past, the here and now.

We are to be different “not as unwise, but as wise.” Pay attention to your walk. Place one foot in front of the other, steady as you go. Carpe Diem, as the saying goes. The Greek word for time here means opportunity. Make the most of the opportunity that is the life you have been given. Worship and serve! God is to be our focus, our passion, our life!!

David Brainard, missionary to the Native Americans in the early your of America, said, “When I really enjoy God, I feel my desires of Him the more insatiable, and my thirstings after holiness the more unquenchable…Oh, for holiness! Oh, for more of God in my soul! Oh, this pleasing pain! It makes my soul press after God…Oh, that I might no loiter on my heavenly journey!!!

The Influence of Scripture

As mentioned in a previous post, I have begun memorizing Scripture. This was an activity, a spiritual discipline, that I knew was lacking in my life and sorely needed. I had purchased the Fighter Verses pack from Desiring God Ministries and started them once before but stalled out when The Queen didn't participate as planned. Nevertheless, as the spiritual leader of my home, I started them back up, roughly at the same time as the bi-monthly men's group, which also encouraged us to memorize passages.

Happily, I can say that the memorization is going well and that I am truly seeing changes in the way I am thinking (Romans 12:2) and even in the way I pray. I'm simply writing this to encourage all to do some type of memorization program. A verse, a passage, a book, whatever it takes, HIDE GOD'S WORD IN YOUR HEART.

You'll be glad you did, when our Bible's are ripped out of our hands.

Ok, that last was a little dramatic. . .