2021

December 2, 2021

12 Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” [Genesis 12:1-3]

The New Year 2021 started 3 days ago and while we might all be saying and thinking “Good riddance!” to 2020, what is it about 2020 that we aren’t taking into 2021 with us?

A certain preacher out of Houston, Texas had this to say recently; “Sometimes you have to leave certain things behind so you can become all you were created to be.” ~ Joel Osteen.

While you may or may not agree with his theological mindset that doesn’t change that what he says here is correct. God spoke to Abram and said leave your country, your home, your family, go to where I tell you and I will reward you beyond your wildest dreams.

We head into 2021, leaving 2020, behind looking toward the possibility of goodness and reward. We may be thinking: “2021 can’t possibly be as bad as 2020 was!” But let’s stop and examine that thought for a moment. Is just the calendar changing from one numerical connotation to the next really change anything in reality? Maybe it’s really all the things we carry in life that matters the most. Maybe before we will see a rewarding 2021 we need to jettison some things from 2020.

So what is it you need to leave behind? What are some regrets you have about the last year that you have control over? Take this moment to see them, acknowledge them and then release the hold they have over you. “You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.” ~ Anonymous

I believe as soon as we awaken every day we should acknowledge and thank God for another day then we should make a new resolution: to leave something behind that is hindering our progress and our ability to be a better person. That especially relates to your spiritual life: you should constantly examine your relationship with God to see where it can be improved. Ask yourself what are the attitudes and opinions I am holding onto that if I’m honest with myself are preventing me from becoming a better servant of God?

Are you constantly in turmoil with someone or something? “If you want peace, stop fighting. If you want peace of mind, stop fighting with your thoughts.” ~ (Peter McWilliams)

If we are honest with ourselves before God, we would probably recognize that our biggest battles are with ourselves over our insistence to hold onto attitudes and allegiances the Holy Spirit may be trying to get us to sever. It may be that we have decided we can’t tackle a task God has given us to do. We want a better world but we want someone else to make it happen. Mahatma Gandhi once said; “If you want a better world you have to create one, because if you just sit around waiting for a better world, it will never come. Be the Change you wish to see in the world.” ~ (Mahatma Gandhi)

I see way too much hatred in this world. I see too many people seeking their own will and not God’s will in the decisions they make. I believe we are at a tipping point, a bridge too far so to speak. There are so many people that have planted their feet behind a line in the sand that they can’t hear God when He speaks to them. Let me tell you how you know you are in God’s will and not your own: it feels like surrender. Think about that ... it feels like surrender. This reminds me of a statement by Martin Luther King Jr. when he said; Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him. ~ (Martin Luther King, Jr.) He was saying you can’t just appear to avoid hate you actually have to give up hate, you can’t say you want to do God’s will; you have to actually surrender your will. It will only hurt for a moment, lol.

So let me say this, I believe you can make 2021 be the best year of your life, but it will take some work. First let’s get back to worshiping Jesus. Trust me, He will never steer you wrong. Look at what force is guiding the majority of your decisions today. Consider this; If in the last few years you haven't discarded a major opinion or acquired a new one, check your pulse. You may be dead. ~ (Gelett Burgess)

You can’t go day after day and year after year never questioning why you do things the way you do or trusting in philosophies of others without examining their motives. We should search for God’s truth continually in our lives. It is only when we silent the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts. (K.T. Jong)

Let’s resolve to make 2021 a search for God’s plan in our life. Let us resolve to see how we can make the country come together, search out how much we are alike instead of how much we differ. Let me close with the great Greek Philosopher- Anonymous; “If you resist reading what you disagree with, how will you ever acquire deeper insights into what you believe? The things most worth reading are precisely those that challenge our convictions.” ~ Anonymous

Another way to put it; let’s make an attempt to walk a mile in another man’s shoes. If we do that God says; 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” [Genesis 12:1-3]

~ Pastor Floyd