Revelation 21:1-4
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." 5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"
Today's reading is about hope. It shows me that God sees everything that is going on and one day he is going to do away with the sinful, evil, ugly, terrible, painful, tearful, hopeless things of our present time and our past and make everything new. Not just the old painted over made to look nice and new but to completely get ride of the old and start fresh and new. It offers me something to stay focused on when life becomes challenging and I know that life will always hold challenges. When things get difficult I need only to remember that the difficulty is temporary and that one day it too will pass away. Because of Jesus birth and death for me I will be a part of a new tomorrow that God is preparing. My job is too stay focused on the eternal not the temporal.
This got me thinking about resolutions, as this is the time of year when thousands of Americans make new years resolutions. We make these resolutions because we recognize something in our past that it is not right and we desire to set out on a new path, determined to start our year off new. Our resolutions tend to be on self-improvements in hopes that our lives and futures will be better then they were before. I looked up the top 10 resolutions that are made every year:
1. Loose weight
2. Get Organized
3. Spend less save more
4. Enjoy life to the fullest
5. Stay fit and healthy
6. Learn something new and exciting
7. Quit smoking
8. Help others/volunteer
9. Fall in love
10. Spend more time with family
I think that all of these are great goals and a few of them are on my own list of things I would like to accomplish in life. But when I read this list I am troubled in my heart, saddened. These are people's hopes for a better tomorrow. These are empty hopes for a better future. These things can offer some happiness and some brightness to ones future, quitting smoking now can add years to your life but none of these things can give sustaining joy through every up and down that life offers. None of these things offers an eternal, never-ending hope, a promise for a better tomorrow.
So this has made me stop and think a little more. What have I done this past year to help spread the eternal hope that is found in Jesus and that God is preparing for us in Heaven? What have you done? I am sure some of you have done a better job then others but if you are satisfied with the effort you have put in to sharing the hope of Christ let me assure you there is always something more that can be done, there is always room for improvement.
The question now becomes what can I do this year, in 2013, to make the most of every opportunity God gives me, to come alongside others in their quest to succeed in their new years resolutions and help them accomplish their goals while showing them the ultimate hope, the ultimate future found in Christ? For each of us the answer to this question will look different. We will encounter different people and different situations but our goals should be the same: use every moment to bring the hope of Christ into the lives of those we encounter.
I don't know how my year will end but I am going to starting small and deliberate and see where God takes me from there. There are two things I am committed to doing this year: I am going to read through the psalms with 2 of my daughters this year. Not just read them but help them both to see the love, strength, healing power, encouragement and promises of their God who is there for them and their every need. The God who is the only true source of hope for their lives. I am also working on writing a story. I have always loved to write and I am going to try and use that passion to write something that shows the love and hope of God found in Christ.
I don't know how God will use either of these things but if I aim for nothing I will hit it every time. God has a plan for my 2013 and I want to be a part of it even though I know that the road that plan takes me down isn't always easy. But my hope is that that my life will be a beacon of light to those around me and they too will see and experience that hope for themselves.
I encourage each of you make a resolution to show the hope of Christ, the hope of an eternal future to every person you meet this year. Let us all be salt and light to this world. Let us encourage and strengthen each other while we are on this journey. Let us build God's kingdom together and have something really amazing to celebrate next year.
On a side note, I want to thank each of you for traveling on this one-year bible-reading journey with me this year. I have been very blessed by the things God taught me this year. I will greatly miss writing every Monday but I know that God is moving me on to other things. I hope you all will continue to read the bible every day and I encourage you to continue the one-year bible reading journey into 2013. You will not be disappointed. God's blessing on you all and I do hope this will be a Happy Hope Filled New Year!!!
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