Devotional

The season of Christmas and New Year have become a valuable rhythm in our culture. Though dates are just numbers on a page, and though the days go from one to another as normal, there seems to be something in our perspective that shifts when we reach Christmas and New Year. It is like a kind of stock take. We assess the year that has been and celebrate its successes, mourn its losses, and be thankful for what we had. It also is a time to re-set. We turn our attention to what is ahead. We set goals. We make resolutions. It is the feeling of starting again on a fresh new page. I love the apostle Paul’s thoughts in Philippians 3. He knows that as a follower of Jesus there is much more growth ahead. He is not so proud to rest on his achievements but realises that God has more for him to do and experience.

God is not finished with you. And though you may feel tired at the end of the year, though not everything is as you would like it to be, now is the time to re-set. Your life may not have been perfect last year, but now is the time to set aside what is in the past and turn your attention toward God’s future for you. What is his will for you this year? How can you keep moving forward? Use this time to reflect and set your sights on what is ahead.

May God richly bless you over this season,
Brett