Weekly Spiritual Meditations - 1/4

[bluidkiti]

Christ offers us release from whatever imprisons us. Christ wants to set us free — starting today.

Living with God, we are always at home.

God wants us to pray for one another. Our prayers can be silent or spoken. They can be eloquent or simple. We speak from our hearts to God, who hears even the silent cries of our soul.

We are ordinary, but when we reflect God’s divine light we can shine even in the bustle of everyday life. Reflecting God’s light can disperse the darkness around us. When faced with despair, we can be joyful. When anxiety surrounds us, we can be calm. Where there is evil, we can embody love. Where there is indifference, we can be engaged. All of this is possible when we are in Christ and He lives in us. Jesus said in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world.” Let us reflect Christ’s light every day!

One thing that is always new and reliable is the word of God. For thousands of years, the Bible has continued to offer the message of salvation, to bring comfort to the weary, and to show us the right path to walk. It never withers, fades, or grows obsolete. It remains as fresh and lovely as those first blooms of spring.

When we focus on Christ instead of allowing ourselves to be distracted by the many interruptions we encounter every day, we are able to spread the word about his birth and saving grace for all people!

God becomes flesh again in us whenever we share with others the comfort we have received from our Creator.

Praying the Lord’s Prayer we realize that no matter how crazy our lives or circumstances seem, we can depend solely on God in everything — our joy and all our messy pain. As we move away from what has been home, remembering that we can depend on God is a comforting thought.

When God speaks, listen.

God offers each of us a unique relationship of love.

Jesus is a reminder of God’s enduring love for us. We receive this gift with joy, knowing that God wrapped it with love and sealed it with grace.

When we let go of old hurts, we make more room for God’s peace.

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A HEAVENLY NEW YEAR
Happy New Year, this is God.
This year, as with every year, I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember, I do not need your help. If the devil happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it all in the SFJTD BOX. (Something for Jesus to Do) It will be addressed in my time, not yours. Please be patient. Once the matter has been placed in the box, do not hold onto it. Do not become impatient and take it back to see if you can find a solution. Holding on or removal will delay the resolution of your problem. You must surrender the problem to Me for proper resolution. If a situation you think you cannot handle arises, please consult Me in prayer. Together we will come up with proper resolution. If you do not receive what you anticipate as proper response from Me, remember--some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayer. Because I do not sleep, there is no need for you to lose any. Rest, my child...if you need me, I am but a prayer away. --Author unknown

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New Running Duds by John Fischer
The New Year always begins with a certain amount of optimism based on new resolutions and the desire to change. But right on the heel of those determinations is usually a pessimistic voice as well that taunts us: "What if we can't? What if we don't?" We've been here before and seen so little lasting change based on questions like this. Our intentions are great; our actions are weak. What do we do about this?
This year, stirred on by the advice of my doctor to get more exercise, my children got me a running outfit and running shoes for Christmas. I told them that if they were going to do this, it had to be subtle. The last thing I wanted was to be out running the day after Christmas broadcasting to everyone what was under my tree this year. I didn't want to make a big splash in the neighborhood for a few days only to never be seen again out there.
My kids did well. No bright colors. No racing stripes. But is it going to work? Will this new stuff help? Well, here's what I think right now: it sure can't hurt.
I have noticed that since I've got this stuff, I have a renewed desire to go out and run. It's not that I want to show off anything; it's just that I have the equipment now. Someone's made an investment in me; I don't want to disappoint them. I want to make good on this new equipment and use it for its intended purpose.
You don't have to think very hard to find the spiritual implications in this. We always want to do better for the Lord, but we also worry about old habits, excuses and denials that hold us back. We need to remember that we have received a new outfit. The Spirit has clothed us in righteousness and equipped us with spiritual gifts to do the work of the ministry with greater effectiveness. When you lay those clothes out on your bed and you look at that equipment, you can't help but want to put that stuff on and get out there. It doesn't mean that you're going to start right off running the marathon; it just means you're going to start.
Someone's made a huge investment in you to provide you with this equipment. You don't want to make light of that sacrifice or waste what it cost to outfit you spiritually.
It's a New Year! Put your new spiritual stuff on and start running! It doesn't matter how far you go, just start.

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New Year’s Resolutions Don't Cut It by Charles Moore
I’m skeptical of New Year’s resolutions. They’re too easy to make, rarely carried out, and often cover up what really needs to change. It’s not that we set our sights too low; resolutions invariably sidestep root causes.
Too often we mistake the symptom for the cause. This past summer a group of doctors reported that an extract from the fruit of the prickly pear cactus could stave off hangover symptoms. Companies now market hangover pills that we can pop before work the next day. Things are looking up, aren’t they? So much for sobriety and self-control!
If we’re honest, few of us really want things to be completely different. We just want life to get better, or easier. We can handle a tune-up or face-lift, but drastic change? Medication, yes; surgery, no. Reform, maybe; revolution, never.
“All true Christian life,” writes Dietrich von Hildebrand, “involves the deep yearning to become a ‘new person,’ and an inner readiness for something fundamentally different.” The Apostle Paul stated something similar: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” The question is: Do we want the new or not?
New Year’s resolutions obscure the profound transformation Jesus brings: “Behold I make all things new.” They do so in several ways. Resolutions are generally self-referential, hence the obsession with diet and exercise. Also, most resolutions stem from a sense of guilt, thus our incessant preoccupation with staying in better touch with each other and spending more quality time with loved ones we otherwise neglect. Moreover, resolutions assume continuity with the present: improvement, but not transformation. Finally, most resolutions rest on sheer will-power, not on God’s power.
The good news of God’s kingdom, however, eclipses such good intentions. When God acts a radical reversal begins, a decisive break happens: “Drop your nets, and follow me.” Our lives get turned inside out and spun around. “Valleys are made high, hills made low.” But we can bring about none of these changes ourselves. God alone redeems.
So is it just a matter of “letting go and letting God”? Not at all! We are called, in the words of John the Baptist, to “prepare the way” for God’s future. God expects obedience, and if we heed his commands, we can take part in the revolution he intends.
Unlike resolutions, revolutions are never started by the complacent. Unless we are dissatisfied with the way things are—not just with our personality or image—nothing will change. Only the brokenhearted, the desperate, and the oppressed crave for revolution, for freedom, and for new life. It is the captives who demand liberty. Thus, only when we recognize the chains that bind us can a change begin.
When our prayers for God’s kingdom become desperate, there is hope. What keeps a recovering alcoholic off the bottle? Certainly not willpower. Inner resolve alone doesn’t hack it. Any addict knows that promises are the fool’s ploy for the next fall. The sooner he runs for help, the better. Similarly, God’s victory comes in response to hearts that beg for change, admit their need, and go for help.
Prayer, then, is a necessity. Yet it is just the beginning. God waits for us to do what we pray for. This is the crux of the matter: simple obedience, nothing more, nothing less.
I recently asked several friends if they’d ever considered making a New Year’s revolution. Most had something constructive to say:
· Embrace, don’t avoid, suffering.
· Live each day as if it were your last.
· Speak to, not about, each other.
· Have at least one honest conversation every day.
· Become friends with a poor person.
· Say good morning and mean it!
· Learn to be happy without things.
· Be the first to apologize and the last to get your way.
Interestingly, none of my friends mentioned ‘love” or “peace” or “justice.” What they had in mind were simple, straightforward deeds. In thinking about making a New Year’s revolution myself, Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount immediately came to mind:
· Do to others what you would have them do to you.
· Let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no,” “no.” (Mean what you say!)
· Love your enemies, and pray for those who oppose you.
· Give to anyone who asks.
· Do your “good deeds” in secret.
· Forgive, and then, forgive again.
· Invest in the poor, not in temporal goods.
None of these maxims is insurmountable. And each, in its own way, is profound. If consistently applied, they are like small pebbles that cause a ripple effect when tossed in water. If we actually practiced even one of the above maxims, we could hardly begin without also doing several others. (If I really mean “good morning” then how could I be at odds with anyone or speak about anyone negatively?)
Now imagine what could happen if any one of these maxims became “universalized,” if it would be lived out by all people, everywhere. After all, obedience isn't just an individual matter. We need one another to obey fully the commands of Jesus. Lasting change happens with, not apart, from others.
This is the kind of revolution Jesus must have envisioned when he called his disciples to leave everything to follow him. “No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age...” The three thousand who began sharing everything at Pentecost were only the first of many who would experience the truth of these words.
Christoph Blumhardt writes: “Whatever comes between us and God must go. >From above, God’s love; from below, our faith. Whatever is between must be crushed. This union of faith with the love of God alone gives birth to the new creation.” Only you and I can determine what “comes in between” and needs crushing before this new creation can be born. Whatever it is, we must be honest about the gulf that exists between God’s love and our faith.
New Year’s resolutions to try harder and to do better won’t shorten the distance. Only a humble, obedient faith can. With God, all things are possible. And for us, a good place to start is simply doing what we already know to be true.

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Forgetting and Pressing On by: Kansas Bob
This new year causes me to think of something the Apostle Paul wrote from a jail in Rome:
I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! 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. -Philippians 3 (NLT)
We thank you Lord for the influence and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We affirm that it is our desire to know You and to experience your power in our lives even if it involves suffering. To that end we ask you to help us to forget the past, to press on and seek you afresh in this new year. And help us to remember Lord that we do not run in vain nor do we run alone - heaven awaits us and You are faithful to walk with us every day. Amen

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A FRESH START by Greg Lowery
As we come to the beginning of a new year and the ending of an old one, we often wish we could turn over a new leaf or gain a fresh start.
I once read about a man who was reading his morning newspaper and was shocked to find his name listed in the obituary column. He called up the newspaper and was so outraged that they had made such a mistake. "This is terrible," he screamed, "How could you do this to me?"
The newspaper's explanation did not satisfy the man, so he stormed down to their office and demanded to see the editor. After some time of screaming and yelling, the editor grew frustrated and said, "Look buddy! Cheer up. I'll put your name in the birth column tomorrow and you can have a fresh start." You may laugh at a story like that, but wouldn't it be great just to start over again. In reality, as a Christian you can have a fresh start. This year is still a blank slate. There are opportunities ahead of you. You decide which course you are going to take.
In Jeremiah 6:16, God says, " 'Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.' " You decide which path you are going to walk in this coming year. You decide what your priorities will be and what direction you will take. Those are decisions that each of us will make each and every day. This year choose the good way and walk in it. Only there will you find peace.

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All Things New!
Have you ever reached a point in your life where you felt you just couldn’t do “it” anymore? “It” may be being the nurturer, giver, peace maker, bread winner, rescuer, truth setter, role model, or whatever you have been for everyone for so very long. You may just feel burned out, fed up, or like you need to do something new and different. Before you do anything drastic, consider this, Christ has already made all things new! He has set you free, removed the burden, lifted your load, and can restore your soul. All you need to do is to do all things through Him!
He will guide your steps, lead the way, or carry you forward based on what you need. Don’t depend on your emotions or mood, rather depend on the Lord to provide you with all you will need to move into and through a New Year with love, peace, and joy. You can do “it” when you count on Jesus instead of counting on yourself!
May the Lord bless you and your family with a New Year that is rich in His love and peace. Happy 2008!
"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19 --The Daily Journey

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You can't enjoy today if you're worrying about the past or the future.
Your mind and your thoughts could be stuck in the past, continually thinking about what has already happened. If that's the case, it's best to get over it. The past has already happened; you can't do anything to change it. Rather, you ought to trust God that he is working out those things for ultimate good (see Romans 8:28).
On the other hand, your mind could be stuck in the future, thinking about what might happen, what you fear will happen, and things you wish wouldn't happen. However, being a person of faith requires trust--trusting God about the future.
Romans 15:13 says, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him. You'll have joy and peace when you trust in God. Why? Because you'll be able to rest and relax knowing that God has good plans in store for you (Jeremiah 29:11).
Don't worry about the past or the future. Instead, have faith; trust God. When you trust God to help you learn from the past and provide for your future, you're free to enjoy your life today. --Weekly Wisdom

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Here are five ways to start fresh this year:
1. Be Honest About Where You Are – Make an honest assessment of where you are at this point in your life. What are your strengths, your weaknesses? What needs immediate attention? Even though there are weaknesses and shortcomings, do not let that be an excuse for inaction. Philippians 4:13 tells us “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
2. Be Honest About How You Got Where You Are – Take responsibility for your life – your choices. Understand that there are many things that are outside the realm of your control, but at the same time, there are many things you have control over. Unless a person understands the paths he has trodden, the choices he has made, or the decisions he has made, he will habitually repeat himself.
3. Change What You Can Than Will Make A Difference – If you do what you have always done, you will go where you have always gone, and be what you have always been. Do not expect a different outcome from the same actions.
4. Do Not Focus On the Past – Focus On the Future – If there are failures in your past, seek God’s forgiveness, remember the lessons, then forget the details. Psalms 103:12 reminds us “How far has the Lord taken our sins from us? Father than the distance from east to west!”
5. Do Not Give Up – Even after a fresh start, there are going to be times when you blow it, times when you do again what you promised you would never do. Just because you fall, do not stay down. Pick yourself up, get back into battle and do not quit. True failure is not faltering, true failure is falling and then staying down. In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul says, “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
It’s a brand new year – make a fresh start with the Lord this new year! --First Impressions

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A Second Chance by David Langerfeld
On New Year's Day, 1929, Georgia Tech played the University of California in the Rose Bowl. In that game a man named Roy Riegels recovered a fumble for California. Somehow, he became confused and started running 65 yards in the wrong direction. One of his own teammates, Benny Lom, outdistanced him and downed him just before he scored for the opposing team. When California attempted to punt, Tech blocked the kick and scored a safety which was the ultimate margin of victory.
That strange play came in the first half, and everyone who was watching the game was asking the same question: "What will Coach Nibbs Price do with Roy Riegels in the second half?" The men filed off the field and went into the dressing room. They sat down on the benches and on the floor, all but Riegels. He put his blanket around his shoulders, sat down in a corner, put his face in his hands, and cried like a baby.
If you have played football, you know that a coach usually has a great deal to say to his team during half time. That day Coach Price was quiet. No doubt he was trying to decide what to do with Riegels. Then the timekeeper came in and announced that there were three minutes before playing time.
Coach Price looked at the team and said simply, "Men the same team that played the first half will start the second." The players got up and started out, all but Riegels. He did not budge. The coach looked back and called to him again; still he didn't move.
Coach Price went over to where Riegels sat and said, "Roy, didn't you hear me? The same team that played the first half will start the second." Then Roy Riegels looked up and his cheeks were wet with a strong man's tears. "Coach," he said, "I can't do it to save my life. I've ruined you, I've ruined the University of California, I've ruined myself. I couldn't face that crowd in the stadium to save my life."
Then Coach Price reached out and put his hand on Riegel's shoulder and said to him: "Roy, get up and go on back; the game is only half over." And Roy Riegels went back, and those Tech men will tell you that they have never seen a man play football as Roy Riegels played that second half.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel of a second chance. Jesus offers us the chance to start anew - clean and fresh. No matter how badly we've blown it, no matter how many times we've failed, we can start over. Today is the day for a fresh start. Get back in the game. The second half has just started.

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Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns
I have called to you to quiet your soul and keep your emotions under control. Yet, you still allow disappointment and frustration to take you out of the flow of My Spirit and remove you from a place of peace. It is as though you were on a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs instead of remaining solid in your faith and trust in Me, says the Lord. Refuse to allow your circumstances to dictate to your sense of well-being. Stay strong and be steady. Psalm 112:5-8 A good man deals graciously and lends; he will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he will never be shaken; The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is established; he will not be afraid, until he sees his desire upon his enemies.

Silence your flesh and speak only truth and life to yourself and others, says the Lord. It is important that you not give the devil access to your words. Make your thoughts a sanctuary, a place of protection and safety from evil. Make no provision for the lust of the flesh. Zechariah 2:13 "Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!"

What's done is done. You can't change the past, but you can make a decision to let go of all that will hinder your walk of faith. Establish yourself in strong faith through hearing the Word. Take one step at a time without projecting into the future. Otherwise, you could get overwhelmed, says the Lord. Move forward with renewed hope. Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

This is a time when your choices will produce greater consequences than ever. Take the time necessary to make decisions that will produce the best outcome possible, both spiritually and naturally. Make the effort to break free of all entanglements that keep you from positive spiritual progression, says the Lord. Seek Me for strength and liberty from all bondage. Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Be on alert for the tendency to make assumptions about people or situations that make you uncomfortable. It's okay to feel awkward, but you must resist the temptation to carry that feeling into presumption. Your best tactic is to hide and watch it work itself out. Not everything is about you, so don't take things too personally or take yourself too seriously, says the Lord. Keep looking for spiritual reality in everything. Psalms 5:3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.

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The Trumpet by Bill Burns
"Set the trumpet to your mouth!" Hosea 8:1
I am coming to you in greater measure and clarity than you have ever experienced, says the Lord. I will come to you in night visions. I will come to you in dreams. I will come to you in daytime visions. I will come to you when you are praying. I will come to you when you are meditating on My word. And, I will begin to reveal to you the hidden mysteries that have been saved for this time. I have some things to teach you and to show you. Get ready, for My work is about to be demonstrated in you, says the Most Holy. Watch! Learn! Listen! Obey! For, you shall be well pleased with the demonstration of My power that comes flowing into your life like a mighty rushing river; like a wind that is blowing through the tops of the trees. Listen for My voice, for My truth will set you free.

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Entering This New Year by Honoria A. Groves
I enter this year without burdens,
Freed from a mountain of care,
For last night I gave them to Jesus,
Who promised my burdens to bear.
This year will not be without problems,
There may be many to face,
But I can approach them with courage,
Sustained by God's marvelous grace.
I enter this New Year with gladness,
For Jesus restored my joy.
He filled me with peace and assurance
That Satan cannot destroy.
I left the old year in repentance
For living a life of defeat,
Leaving my fear and my failures
At my Heavenly Father's Feet.
I enter this year with a purpose -
To minister Christian love
To needy souls all around me
And lift them to God above.
Now with eager anticipation,
With faith instead of fear,
And the presence of Christ, my Savior,
I will enter this New Year.

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New Year Prayer by Helen Steiner Rice
God grant us this year a wider view,
So we see other's faults through the eyes of You.
Teach us to judge not with hasty tongue,
neither the adult ... nor the young.
Give us patience and grace to endure
and a stronger faith so we feel secure.
Instead of remembering, help us forget
the irritations that caused us to fret.
Freely forgiving for some offense
and finding each day a rich recompense.
In offering a friendly, helping hand
And trying in all ways to understand;
That all of us, whoever we are,
are trying to reach an unreachable star.
For the great and small ... the good and bad,
the young and old ... the sad and glad
Are asking today; Is life worth living?
The answer is only in, loving and giving.
For only Love can make mankind,
and Kindness of Heart brings Peace of Mind.
By giving love, we can start this year
To lift the clouds of hate and fear.

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Blessed are they that keep [the Lord’s] testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. Psalm 119:2

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit . . . intercedes for us through wordless groans. Romans 8:26

In [Christ] you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13

All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever. 1 Peter 1:24-25

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 11:18-19

All things work together for good for those who love God. Romans 8:28

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Loved by Suzanne Benner
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1a)
There is a theme woven throughout the writings of the Apostle John. You’ve heard the message before, but it never gets old.
God loves you.
The word love can be tossed around rather casually. I love this song. I love pizza. I love your new haircut. Therefore we need to know that God’s love is deep and powerful and never ending. His love doesn’t depend on our behavior or good deeds. Nothing we do or fail to do can disqualify us from His love. God pours out His love on us – unconditional, unrelenting, and unfailing.
In his gospel and his letters, John reminds us of the great love God has for us.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
The term, “the world” includes you. Before you were born, God loved you. While you were trapped in a life of sin, God loved you.
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1a)
God is not miserly or stingy with His love. His love is abundant, abounding, overflowing and lavish. God has called you His child.
Not only does God love us, but He personifies love. In fact, we can’t truly understand what love is, without knowing God, because John tells us that “God is love.” (1 John 4:8 and 1 John 4:16)
So, today, regardless of what is going on around you, remember you are loved.
Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for the abundant love that You have lavished on me. Though I have done nothing to deserve it, You love me with Your unconditional love. Amen
Questions: What are your favorite verses that remind you of God’s love? How can remembering that God loves you change your perspective on your situation?

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It Is Time For A New Start!
If you had the opportunity to start over with your life would you take it? If you could erase the past mistakes and begin with a clean slate would you do it? If you had the chance to move forward with a fresh outlook and do things differently would you go for it? If you were given the option of carrying your sins with you the rest of your life, or you could unload them and leave them behind, which would you choose?
A few days ago a new year was placed in our hands. With the simple tick of the clock we bid farewell to last year, and we embraced a brand new year. At the midnight hour we were invited to do things differently than we did last year, we were offered a chance to start fresh, leave 2008 behind us and move into 2009 with boldness, confidence, and hope. That's what is great about a New Year's Day...we get to start over.
Everyday we are given a similar opportunity. Of course, there are obligations and commitments that are always waiting for us when we wake up in the morning, but for the most part how we live the day is up to us. There will be challenges and problems and blessings and joys just like we experienced yesterday, but we are given the option of how we'll handle them. Everyday we are invited by the One who created the world, and us, to live by His power. We are invited to live under His caring hand. We are invited to live knowing that He has washed us clean by His grace and mercy. We are invited to live with the assurance that He is walking with us as we take every step of every day.
Even more than being given a new year, and a new day, we are offered a new life. God is giving us a chance to start over in life. Through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of His Son Jesus, God is giving us the opportunity to erase all the sins of our past. God is inviting us to put the past where it belongs - in His hands - and He is inviting us to live a new life of freedom, and joy, and peace, and salvation. He is inviting us to enjoy a new life: "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:16-20, New International Version)
Maybe it's time you accepted the invitation to start over. You have lived life your way. You have done church your way. You have walked through life your way. You have made your demands and received your results. You have talked about the value letting God rule your heart, but you have not allowed Him to take control. You are certain that He can do a better job than you have done, but you have not yet been willing to let Him be in charge. It's time for a new start!
It is time to begin doing things differently...to allow God to do things differently in your life. It is a new year. It's time for a new start!
God invites you to join Him on a new journey that begins today. The journey will involve challenges. The journey will involve sacrifice. The journey will involve giving up your way of doing things. The journey will involve listening to God more than you listen to your own voice. The journey will involve surrender.
It's a new year. It's time for a new start! --Tom

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Lord, thank You for giving Your life that You might choose and draw us unto Yourself. We take Your Name, Your promises, Your Word, into the New Year, with confidence and strength, knowing You WILL be with us, all the way. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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Read Through The Bible
2 Kings 5
Naaman’s Leprosy Healed
1 Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” 4 And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.” 5 Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. 6 Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy. 7 And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.” 8 So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ 12 Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.” 16 But he said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. 17 So Naaman said, “Then, if not, please let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth; for your servant will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord. 18 Yet in this thing may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord please pardon your servant in this thing.” 19 Then he said to him, “Go in peace.” So he departed from him a short distance.
Gehazi’s Greed
20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared Naaman this Syrian, while not receiving from his hands what he brought; but as the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” 21 So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw him running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him, and said, “Is all well?” 22 And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Indeed, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the mountains of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of garments.’” 23 So Naaman said, “Please, take two talents.” And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and handed them to two of his servants; and they carried them on ahead of him. 24 When he came to the citadel, he took them from their hand, and stored them away in the house; then he let the men go, and they departed. 25 Now he went in and stood before his master. Elisha said to him, “Where did you go, Gehazi?” And he said, “Your servant did not go anywhere.” 26 Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants? 27 Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever.” And he went out from his presence leprous, as white as snow.

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A New Year's Prayer, by Rubel Shelly
Holy God of Heaven and Earth,
I know that a thousand years are as a day to you, but we humans are bound up in time. As a new year is beginning, please teach me to ...
* care more about people and less about money,
* enjoy my work but not let it enslave me,
* and laugh more easily than I did last year.
As I get ready for this new year, help me to remember things that are easy to forget ...
* that it might well be my last year,
* that some people are counting on me,
* and that you have things for me to do.
Lord, with the things I have accumulated over the years, please let me ...
* shake off the monotony of life,
* try some new things in this new year,
* and mend some broken fences.
And, Father of Mercies, please teach me in this new and unspoiled year to ...
* lighten up and enjoy children, sunsets, reading, and long walks,
* avoid quarrels and work at being a peacemaker in this world,
* and start next year with fewer regrets than I bring to 2008.
May we live it for your glory!
I cannot know what this year will bring, and I am grateful for that!
But help me ...
* eat less junk food,
* exercise and take better care of my body,
* and learn to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.
Above all other things, Father, I want to be your instrument for ...
* easing somebody's too-heavy load,
* relieving some sad person's misery,
* and introducing some lost soul to Jesus.
Come what may in the year about to begin, may we live it for your glory, within your will, and to your delight.
We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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A New Years Blessing for You
Purpose – As you complete your daily tasks, may you understand how they contribute to the larger purpose of your life. May you experience deep satisfaction as you discover and carry out your unique role. (Psalms 25:12, 139:16; Jeremiah 29:11)
Fulfilling Work – May you take pleasure in all your work. May every task you undertake succeed, and may you enjoy the good things your labor supplies. (Ecclesiastes 1:24; Psalms 41:3)
Physical Health – May you and those you love remain strong in body and free from disease. May those who suffer from injury or illness recover quickly and completely. (3 John 1:2; Deuteronomy 7:15; Psalms 41:3)
Peace of Mind – May you mind and heart always be at rest. May gratitude and peace replace every anxious, fearful thought. (2 Thessalonians 3:16; Philippians 4:6)
Good Relationships – May you be surrounded by loving, faithful, and supportive friends. Where relationships have been broken, may you find reconciliation and forgiveness. (Proverbs 17:17, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Matthew 5:23-24)
Sufficient Resources – May you have exactly what you need for each day. May you become rich in every way so that you can share generously with others. (Proverbs 20:8-9; Luke 11:3; 2 Corinthians 9:11

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Lord, You have blessed me with a family, friends, and the fragrance of Your love outpoured to me. Help me to share that fragrance with a lonely person in this new year. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Wherever you are in life, whatever you've done, you can begin again. If you do not have Jesus in your life and wish to ask Jesus into your life please go to this link now to do so: http://www.bluidkiti.com/forums/showthread.php?t=130 .
Jesus is calling you to live a life that matters.