As we enter the year of 2012, let it be in our heart to move forward in the purposes that God has ordained for our lives. Let us not begin it with so called “New Year’s resolutions” that we will only focus on for the first couple of weeks. At the beginning of a new year there are those who take out contracts for fitness facilities, others who concentrate on ridding themselves of bad habits and still others who determine to get out of debt. However, most of these good intentions are abandoned within the first few weeks of the year. Let me suggest to you some ways of starting this year off that will bless you as you move forward.

First of all, do not focus on last year’s failures. Our meditation scripture says, “…forgetting those things that are behind.” You may have had some disappointments and situations that did not turn out the way you desired. However, in this year focus on what you have learned as a result of what you experienced and use those situations as stepping stones to bigger and better things in God. In other words, do not give up hope or lose your expectation for what you want from God but instead, do as the scripture admonishes and “reach forth to those things which are before.”

Determine to give Jesus first place in your life. I am not stating this as a high sounding platitude, but rather as a statement of what you must do in order to thrive as a follower of Jesus. This means that you will acknowledge Him in every aspect of your life as you seek Him first and His Kingdom according to Matthew 6:33 which says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Let your decisions both small and great be guided by the wisdom that comes from His Word.

Stay connected with others in the body of Christ for encouragement and fellowship. Enjoy times of fun and laughter with family and friends since Proverbs 17:22 tells us, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine…” The Christian life is to be joyful. You do not have to go around with a sad countenance all the time. Learn how to relax and enjoy life. Jesus came that we might have abundant life, and joy is a significant part of this abundance. It is His joy that strengthens us (Nehemiah 8:10).

Always keep a heart of forgiveness toward those who may offend you so that you can walk in the blessings of God and receive answers to prayer. You may even need to forgive yourself instead of beating up on yourself for those things that you did not accomplish last year. You can start over and with God’s help accomplish in this year what was not possible last year. Finally, cast off the wrong attitudes of last year and ask God to give you a new attitude for this year of 2012. Remember, we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Phil. 4:13). Have a great year full of the blessings of God.

Scripture Reading: Philippians 3

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. KJV

Now thanks be to God for His Gift, [precious] beyond telling [His indescribable, inexpressible, free Gift]! AMP

December is the month in which the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated, although according to history, he was born months earlier. A lot goes on during this time, mainly, the purchasing and exchanging of gifts. If we are not careful, the whole sense of the season can be lost to commercialism. We can get so caught up in buying gifts and spending money (oftentimes beyond one’s means), that we lose sight of the real purpose for the season. God gave to mankind the most lavish gift that can ever be given, His only Son. Our scripture for meditation this month speaks of this gift as precious, indescribable and inexpressible. Let us pause for a few minutes and reflect on this most important of gifts.

First of all we must understand that even though the birth of Jesus is celebrated on December 25th, this is not the day He was born into the world. However, regardless to the day He was born, we must not limit our celebration to December 25, but celebrate throughout the year the glorious day of His birth. He came into the world to redeem the world from sin. This means that not only His birth, but also his life, death and resurrection were all a part of God’s gift to mankind. He was not selfish in this precious gift to the world as He gave, “His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).” Without this gift to the world, there would be no salvation for man, and to live in an eternal state of sin would mean a world condemned to death.

The scripture speaks of God’s gift as indescribable, meaning, impossible to define. Jesus is truly impossible to define because whatever term you use to characterize Him will only explain a minute part of who He really is. Jesus is wonderful, magnificent, holy, righteous, lovely and a host of many other wonderful attributes all combined together. The love that was extended to mankind through the gift of His birth, and ultimately His death and resurrection is beyond explanation. God was truly lavish in His gift. Consider that this gift did not cost us personally anything, but cost God his only Son.

It is an inexpressible gift, meaning, impossible to put into words. This awesome fact is only understood by those who have personally made Jesus the Lord of their lives. To have Him dwelling within us, and helping us to live a life truly dedicated to God, is inexpressible. This is God’s desire for mankind, that they would come to know Him as manifested in Jesus. Please join with me in this season of celebration by thanking God for His unspeakable gift, Jesus Christ.

Scripture Reading: Luke 1:26-56; John 3:14-21

The meditation scripture for this month is one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible. This passage in Deuteronomy 7:9 was spoken by Moses to the children of Israel during their time in the wilderness. It reminded them of the faithfulness of God who brought them out of Egypt to bring them into the land He promised their forefathers. It expresses one of the outstanding characteristics of the Omnipotent God we serve which is His faithfulness. To be faithful means to be trustworthy, consistently loyal, and true. All down through history God has proven Himself to be exactly that. Even during the times of Israel’s disobedience to His will, He was faithful in forgiving them, showing mercy and leading them back on the road to righteousness. He is a covenant keeping God and just as He has kept His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, so will He keep His covenant with those who believe in Him today.

The inability to successfully deal with the challenges that arise in our lives is often due to the fact that we do not trust God to be faithful. It is easy to give mental assent to the written word that God is faithful but it is quite another matter to truly believe it in your heart. If you are fully persuaded of His faithfulness, you will not worry, or be filled with anxiety. Instead you will with faith and joy rest in His ability to deliver you. God is faithful to provide finances, heal your body, regulate your mind, and deliver you from all kinds of fears, addictions and bad habits. He sees you right where you are, and when you get in a difficult situation He will make a way of escape according to His word in 1Corinthians 10:13, which says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

Have you ever questioned the faithfulness of God to act in a particular situation or felt that He has abandoned you? I have been a Christian for many years and can truthfully say that God has never failed me regardless to the severity of the personal challenges I have faced. This is not to say that there have not been times when I had to remind myself of His unblemished record of fulfilling His Word when doubt has tried to enter. We have all been disappointed by people who have given us their word but failed to comply. Oftentimes in such cases trust is lost. The tragedy occurs when this disappointment is projected onto God. God is not like people. He will not leave you when the going gets tough. The scripture in Deuteronomy 7:9, lets us know that He is faithful to a thousand generations. We all have a choice whether to believe or not to believe in the faithfulness of God. When we do not believe, we grieve the heart of God. When we choose to believe we will reap the rich rewards and experience the heavenly blessings of a life overflowing with abundance. Brothers and sisters let us believe that in all of life’s situations our God will always be faithful.

Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 7

.

The meditation for this month is a statement that needs to be spoken by all who are sincere followers of Jesus Christ. We must be willing to surrender our all to Him and very honestly say, “Lord I give myself to You.” This means that we will allow God to have total access to every area of our lives. This is not something that happens all at once, but day by day we must live the crucified life. The scripture in Galatians 2:20 says, “I am crucified with Christ…” This means that no longer will we hold on to attitudes and behaviors that are not pleasing to Him. As the Holy Spirit exposes areas of sin, compromise, and self-will in our lives we must allow the Lord to cleanse us by His grace.

A few years ago as I was taking my morning walk, the Lord spoke to me and said, “I want total access to you.” When I heard Him say this, my thought was that if He desires total access, then this means that I am keeping some areas of my life from Him. I began to evaluate my life and cry out to God and ask Him to expose any area in my life that was not totally given over to Him. As a good Father, He began to show me areas where I had surrendered partially but not totally. I repented, and determined that I would give my all to Him in these areas. It meant that instead of me moving in my own strength and trying to figure out solutions, that I would rest in Him and allow Him to work things out, trusting in His ability to accomplish His purposes in my life. In my prayer to Him during this time I said, “God I open every door and ask that you tear down every wall that keeps You from having total access in my life. I surrender myself to You.” It has meant a closer relationship with Him, a rest from personal striving, and a greater revelation of who I am in Him.

When we give ourselves to the Lord we will be passionate about those things that are on God’s heart. Instead of being so concerned about yourself and those associated with you, there will be a concern for others, especially those who do not know Christ. His Word will have first place in your life, and you will allow your decisions to be based on His Word. When difficult situations arise your first thought will be, what does the Word say about it? Here again, this will not happen in a day, but as you take the time to read and study the Word it will become an integral part of your life. Giving yourself to the Lord also means that your time, finances, talents and all that you have are available for His use. I repeat, this will not happen all at once, but as you continually walk with Him, it will become your way of life. Join with me this day in sincerely offering yourself to Jesus, as you say, “Lord, I give myself to You.”

Scripture Reading: Galatians 2:15-20