trbccoffeebreak

“Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.”  Deuteronomy 32:3 (NIV)

A new year, a new outlook, a new commitment, a new goal – amazing how the flipping of the calendar to January 2013 allows us to clear out the old and stretch for the new.  It’s invigorating to navigate new territory and to anticipate the days ahead.  But do we miss out when we move forward without first flipping those days back?  Like everyone else, I look forward to getting a do over every New Year’s Day. However, if I fail to examine what I did with 2012, I might tend to repeat some of those days I’d rather forget.  So, before I start making that list or setting new goals; I consciously make an effort to reflect on 2012 and prayerfully consider three things:

• Did I bring glory to God or to myself?
• Am I the same person or am I more like Him?
• Was I a faithful steward of the gifts and abilities He has entrusted to me?

The calendar may offer us 365 days a year, but only God knows the potential to transform our ordinary life into extraordinary moments that glorify Him. Growth and intimacy with God are intentional.  It requires listening to His voice, applying His principles and stepping outside our comfort zone to pursue a deeper personal walk with our God.  It requires a submissive and surrendered heart that longs to reflect His ways versus our own.  Where will you be at the end of 2013?  It all begins with the choices we make after the clock strikes midnight.

“Father, give us the courage to honestly examine our hearts and to embrace Your grace as we begin a new year.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break