Ok, so I know you're thinking, "You kinda missed it, Jayme. January 1... June 1... little bit of a difference." I know - if nothing else, snow v. no snow, right? Well, on June 1, God showed me that on June 13, my 29th birthday, a new year begins.
Talking to my sister in law, I learned that, at 30, my body will go through a hormonal disruption. I also found out I can be prepared for it, so guess what I'm doing? You better believe my diet is changing, my activity level is changing, and my priorities are changing at a pretty rapid pace! I want to be ready for ALL God has for me at 30, but even more, I want to be ready for all God has for me today.
People make New Year's resolutions and declare "this is how I will live my life this year". Well, I have a few declarations for my new year. With the help of my Father in Heaven, I will:
- love the Lord (Luke 10:27 He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'")
- walk in obedience to my God (2 John 2:16 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love)
- share the love of God with the world (Matt 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.)
- use my talents for the Kingdom (Matt 25:29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.)
We wait for January 1st like it's the reinvention of who we are when our new year can start at any time. When God creates a new season in our lives, He has priorities for our time, talents, and skills. He has a plan for all that we are and all He wants us to become during that time. Be open to celebrating New Year at any time of the year - God never said His plans for you were to prosper you, not to harm you, to give you hope and a future, and only revealed at the beginning of every calendar year.
Earlier this month, God gave me a word for my new year: "You have to watch your diet. You have to take care of you, or you won't be ready. You won't be in the shape I need you to be in to do what I need you to do. Be diligent, and I will prove my faithfulness."
How many times has He said this to me in the last 6-9 months? How many times have I fought Him with everything in me to stay where I'm at? People, I HAVE to get it together, I HAVE to get in shape (physically, emotionally, spiritually) to do what He wants me to do - I don't have time to waste! He doesn't want me to waste time - He wants to return! Granted, I'm not the sole vessel God will use to proclaim the name of Jesus to the whole world, but I am one of them!
God wants so badly to take all of us to another, deeper level (listening to Israel right now), and we fight him tooth and nail (which is actually "fight with every tooth and every nail") - with every ounce of our being. Oswald Chambers said, "The abiding awareness of the Christian life is to be God Himself, not just thoughts about Him. The total being of our life inside and out is to be absolutely obsessed by the presence of God." Acts 17:28a "For in him we live and move and have our being." If God is planning our lives and totally in everything and all we are and do, then we HAVE to be obedient, love the Lord, share His word with the world, and use our talents for His kingdom.
Honestly, I don't want to stand before God one day and say, "I wasn't willing to sacrifice my flesh to be obedient". So, yeah, I'm gonna change things around; I don't want to tell the Father He's not worth the effort. Who am I to tell God "mm... I'm thinking not so much to your plans"? He totally gave it all, did it all, and continues to be all.
Contemplate this idea as you read:
The choice wasn't yours;
It was His.
Before you were born,
Before you were a thought,
He picked you
From all the people
Throughout all of time.
He loved you
Before your first step.
Before your first breath,
He wrapped Himself all in, around, and through you.
It's why you crave Him
Like a famished man
Longs for a meal.
It's why you're dying for Him
Like a man wandering in the desert
In search of an oasis.
And yet, you miss Him
When He whispers your name.
Heed, hear, harken to Him -
Respond to His call.
He chose you.
He loves you.
Happy New Year to me - may it be a year when I give my all to and for Him.
- share the love of God with the world (Matt 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.)
- use my talents for the Kingdom (Matt 25:29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.)
We wait for January 1st like it's the reinvention of who we are when our new year can start at any time. When God creates a new season in our lives, He has priorities for our time, talents, and skills. He has a plan for all that we are and all He wants us to become during that time. Be open to celebrating New Year at any time of the year - God never said His plans for you were to prosper you, not to harm you, to give you hope and a future, and only revealed at the beginning of every calendar year.
Earlier this month, God gave me a word for my new year: "You have to watch your diet. You have to take care of you, or you won't be ready. You won't be in the shape I need you to be in to do what I need you to do. Be diligent, and I will prove my faithfulness."
How many times has He said this to me in the last 6-9 months? How many times have I fought Him with everything in me to stay where I'm at? People, I HAVE to get it together, I HAVE to get in shape (physically, emotionally, spiritually) to do what He wants me to do - I don't have time to waste! He doesn't want me to waste time - He wants to return! Granted, I'm not the sole vessel God will use to proclaim the name of Jesus to the whole world, but I am one of them!
God wants so badly to take all of us to another, deeper level (listening to Israel right now), and we fight him tooth and nail (which is actually "fight with every tooth and every nail") - with every ounce of our being. Oswald Chambers said, "The abiding awareness of the Christian life is to be God Himself, not just thoughts about Him. The total being of our life inside and out is to be absolutely obsessed by the presence of God." Acts 17:28a "For in him we live and move and have our being." If God is planning our lives and totally in everything and all we are and do, then we HAVE to be obedient, love the Lord, share His word with the world, and use our talents for His kingdom.
Honestly, I don't want to stand before God one day and say, "I wasn't willing to sacrifice my flesh to be obedient". So, yeah, I'm gonna change things around; I don't want to tell the Father He's not worth the effort. Who am I to tell God "mm... I'm thinking not so much to your plans"? He totally gave it all, did it all, and continues to be all.
Contemplate this idea as you read:
The choice wasn't yours;
It was His.
Before you were born,
Before you were a thought,
He picked you
From all the people
Throughout all of time.
He loved you
Before your first step.
Before your first breath,
He wrapped Himself all in, around, and through you.
It's why you crave Him
Like a famished man
Longs for a meal.
It's why you're dying for Him
Like a man wandering in the desert
In search of an oasis.
And yet, you miss Him
When He whispers your name.
Heed, hear, harken to Him -
Respond to His call.
He chose you.
He loves you.
Happy New Year to me - may it be a year when I give my all to and for Him.
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