Philippians 3: 12-14 NLT
I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Well we made through 2015 and we are into a new year! For some of you 2015 was an awesome year. But for some of us including myself, 2015 was a very difficult year. So the question is what do we do now that 2015 is behind us?
Well according to our scripture text rather we had a good or bad 2015, we are to put it behind us.
Because if we do not put the past behind us, we will not be ready for what God wants to do for us this year. So let's be grateful for this new year and have an expectant heart. I understand that some of us may be hurting, but the only way we can be healed is by giving it to God.
God has great things in store for us and we have to not allow the past to keep us from experiencing the good things He has in our future. God loves us and even though sometimes it seems He has forgotten us. Trust me He always brings us through the dark places and into the blessings we are praying for. He always answers our prayers. But we must be open to how He answers. He knows what is best, so don't be so fixed in your mind about how you want Him to answer. In my 30 years as a Christian I can tell you that I am glad that He sometimes answers my prayers according to His will and not my wants. He is alot smarter than me and I have found that when He does things His way and not my way in the end it is what I needed most. Not having things go your way is painful at times but we have to trust God and realize that He knows what is best! One of the greatest prayers we can pray is to ask God to change our hearts. I have been praying lately that God will just use me as He sees fit. I want to be in His perfect will for my life. So what would a successful 2016 look like? Well, for all of us to be doing what God has designed for us to be doing on this earth. He has a plan for each and everyone of us. Let us all find that place where one day all of us can hear Him say "well done thou good and faithful servant enter into the joy of the Lord" !
I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Well we made through 2015 and we are into a new year! For some of you 2015 was an awesome year. But for some of us including myself, 2015 was a very difficult year. So the question is what do we do now that 2015 is behind us?
Well according to our scripture text rather we had a good or bad 2015, we are to put it behind us.
Because if we do not put the past behind us, we will not be ready for what God wants to do for us this year. So let's be grateful for this new year and have an expectant heart. I understand that some of us may be hurting, but the only way we can be healed is by giving it to God.
God has great things in store for us and we have to not allow the past to keep us from experiencing the good things He has in our future. God loves us and even though sometimes it seems He has forgotten us. Trust me He always brings us through the dark places and into the blessings we are praying for. He always answers our prayers. But we must be open to how He answers. He knows what is best, so don't be so fixed in your mind about how you want Him to answer. In my 30 years as a Christian I can tell you that I am glad that He sometimes answers my prayers according to His will and not my wants. He is alot smarter than me and I have found that when He does things His way and not my way in the end it is what I needed most. Not having things go your way is painful at times but we have to trust God and realize that He knows what is best! One of the greatest prayers we can pray is to ask God to change our hearts. I have been praying lately that God will just use me as He sees fit. I want to be in His perfect will for my life. So what would a successful 2016 look like? Well, for all of us to be doing what God has designed for us to be doing on this earth. He has a plan for each and everyone of us. Let us all find that place where one day all of us can hear Him say "well done thou good and faithful servant enter into the joy of the Lord" !
