Praise God for 2012 and Prepare for 2013

LATEST SUNDAY WORD Today is the last Sunday of the year 2012. We take a little time today to count our blessings and praise God for them. We keep trusting and obeying God even though there may be things that we have not received fully or even partially in 2012. God loves us and knows what is best. He is worthy of praise for all his answers to man’s prayers (YESes, NOs, and WAITs). On a personal or individual level, take some time in the next few days and thank God for the many blessings you received during the year. Thank God not just for financial or material blessings, but, more importantly, for spiritual growth, the growth of your ministry, and other things which have eternal value and significance. As the year 2012 is ending and a new year, 2013, is about to start, take some time to do some spiritual housekeeping. Many people do some housekeeping (cleaning, re-organizing, repairs, re-painting, replacing old furniture with new ones, etc.) during the Christmas break because there’s some extra time and/or money available. Well, it would be good for you and me to do some spiritual housekeeping as well. Evaluate your relationship with God, with your family, and with the church. If you find some areas which are not properly aligned or tightly connected, you will do well to make the adjustments as part of your “year-end procedures” so that you will be ready and equipped to do what God wants you to do in the coming year, 2013. This is not just about removing some things that are not right or appropriate. More importantly, this is about having the right things in your heart, life, and relationships. The Christian life, as God meant it to be, has more to do with doing the good things God has prepared in advance for you to do (Ephesians 2:10) than just avoiding vices or other things that are considered to be wrong. I know the year-end celebrations can get us all so busy with doing groceries, cooking, decorating, attending reunions and gatherings, visiting a new restaurant or coffee shop with friends, etc. But you and I will need to block off some time to pray and do some honest, Holy Spirit-guided evaluation of where our lives are at the present time and where they’re going. What you find out may be a little uncomfortable or even downright painful, but you’ll be in much better shape taking some positive or corrective action soon than just allowing things to deteriorate or go in a wrong direction with possible serious negative consequences. In many ways, it’s like hearing some sobering news from your doctor. You may feel bad for a while. But if you respect your doctor and follow the prescriptions (which sometimes involves some “sacrifices”, like doing physical exercises or avoiding certain kinds of foods), you are on your way to better health and a better quality of life. Prepare to possess your spiritual inheritance in 2013 for the glory of God! The next year may yet be your best year so far. Keep aligning your life with God’s will. Keep dying to your selfish interests and let God be the true leader and manager of your life. As you make God’s concerns your first concern, all the things that you need will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33).