01.12.07
WHAT WILL COME WITH THE NEW YEAR?
As we enter 2007, we realize that we live in an uncertain time. Our nation is at war, our city is filled with violence, global warming is proclaimed as an impending threat to our planet, and there are all the daily concerns of life which we all face.
I’m sure that this year will be a year like any other, with all of the typical and normal events that seem to occur every year. Our calendar tells us that we will celebrate the same holidays, our culture will inundate us with the same attractions, and the cycle of birth and death will continue on as always.
But will this year be different than other years in your life? Are you making any changes which will impact your life or the lives of those around you? Some people this year have decided to jump ship off of the ‘technology obsession’. I think they call themselves the ‘tech-no’s, and they are saying ‘NO!’ to email, cell phones, blackberries, text messaging, crackberries, ipods, gps, etc. How weird is that? Apparently they aren’t revolting against the high financial cost of being ‘plugged in’, they have decided that they no longer want to be tied down by the electronic society. And oddly enough, it’s not the older generation who are tech-challenged, this movement seems to be headed by 20 somethings and teenagers. Seems they might be valuing their privacy and cutting the cultural umbilical cords of constant communication. One would only hope they are seeking real communication and the experience of fellowship (though they wouldn’t call it that), they simply want some ‘face time’ with the one they are talking to.
What will be different for you this year? I hope that your relationship with God will be better! I hope that if you have no relationship with Him, you will see your need for salvation and redemption that only Jesus can give. And if you have been a long time Christian, I hope that this won’t be just another year of life for you, but that you will determine that this will be the year that you give yourself totally to Christ, no holding back, complete surrender. If you do, I guarantee that this will be the most exciting and fulfilling year of your life! It may be the most challenging and difficult, but it will be a year worth living. It will be a year of storing up treasures in Heaven, of knowing and experiencing God’s favor and moving in your heart and life like never before!
At Hyde Park Baptist Church in Cincinnati Ohio, we are striving as a church family to make this the best year ever for our church and community. We are pursuing God with all our energy, taking stock of where we are, seeking His will, giving Him our all and doing all that He asks! If you live in the Cincinnati area and would like to make some real strides in your walk and growth with Christ, I encourage you to join us as we serve our Savior. It may be hard, it may seem radical, it will require sacrifice and self-denial, but it will be worth it all- a life worth living!
