From my family to yours, Happy New Year!\u00a0 It is hard to believe that 2012 is already over and we are starting over again.\u00a0 Each new year reminds me of God\u2019s grace and the second chances He gives us.\u00a0 Both a new year and God\u2019s grace are undeserved, and both are not promised to us.\u00a0 So many times as the new year begins we make resolutions or vows that we will do better.\u00a0 Yet so many times those resolutions or vows end up failing, and this causes us to feel like failures.\u00a0 We get in our minds (partly because satan puts it there) that we have yet again let God down.\u00a0 Let us remember that we don\u2019t hold God up, it is Him who holds us up.\u00a0 I would like to suggest a few things that may help keeping those resolutions a reality for you this year.\u00a0 First and most importantly it must be a \u201clove thing.\u201d\u00a0 Many times our resolutions to follow God closer this year are done because we are dissatisfied with our walk with Christ.\u00a0 Guilt may be a good motivator for a while, but eventually it just fades into shame.\u00a0 If we are truly going to follow God closer this year it must be because we love Him and appreciate Him more.\u00a0 The second thing is that it must be a \u201cwant to thing\u201d not a \u201chave to thing.\u201d\u00a0 Much like guilt, obligations can motivate us to do certain things for a certain amount of time, but eventually it fades.\u00a0 If I love God the way I am suppose to (see Mt. 22:37) then I am going to want to spend more time with Him and get to know Him better.\u00a0 If I do it simply because that is what a Christian is suppose to do, eventually the cares and concerns of our life will choke this out and we will end up back in the same rut we are closing 2012 out in.\u00a0 Finally, and this one sums up the other two in many ways, it must be a \u201crelationship thing\u201d not a \u201creligion thing.\u201d\u00a0 By God\u2019s grace I have been married to Diana for eight years (almost nine).\u00a0 The key to our relationship (one of many) has been we enjoy spending time together.\u00a0 The reason I enjoy spending time with her is because I love her, but I also want to know more about her.\u00a0 The only way I can learn more about her is to willingly and deliberately choose to spend time with her.\u00a0 The same principle that applies to marriage, applies to our relationship with God.\u00a0 I pray 2013 we will become more like Christ.<\/p>\n
By His grace and through His strength may we live for Him<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
From my family to yours, Happy New Year!\u00a0 It is hard to believe that 2012 is already over and we are starting over again.\u00a0 Each new year reminds me of God\u2019s grace and the second chances He gives us.\u00a0 Both … Read More