New Year, New Commitment

In the business of faith, like the business of life, if you aren't moving toward God, you are moving away from Him. It's a choice we make. We can choose to stay where we are, or we can make the decision to move closer to God. The start of the new year is the perfect time to make the decision to press in and go deeper in your walk with God. It's not a decision to take lightly. It takes time, commitment — and a lot of hard work.

 

New year's resolutions are hard to keep and seldom last. Instead of resolutions, I like to start the year by making fresh commitments for moving closer to God. Here are a few things I'm committed to in the new year:

 

I will draw closer to God in prayer. James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you." If we're willing to take that first step toward God by spending time in prayer, He will draw near to us. He will make Himself known to us when we begin to pray and seek Him.

 

I will be a stronger disciple of Christ through Bible study. In 2012, I was committed to reading through the entire Bible. In the new year, I want to do more than just read the Bible. I want to study the Scriptures and learn to apply them to the situations in my life. The Bible is a pattern for all of life. If we will follow it, it will change our lives and move us closer to God.

 

I will be a better witness for the Lord. The Bible says there will be false teachers in the last days who will deceive many. Even some believers will be deceived. We're seeing that today. That's why it's important to warn our friends and family not to give in to the ways of the world. 

 

These commitments may seem like small steps, but they're part of the process that takes me closer to God instead of away from Him. Where will I be a year from now? It's up to me and whether I stick to these commitments. God doesn't move. I must make the move toward Him.

 

How about you? Is your life moving toward God? If not, take some time to think about where you are with God and where you want Him to take you in 2013. Then, take the first step toward Him. He will meet you where you are and take you on a great new adventure in the coming year.

News & Views

There's been a lot of big stories in the news this week. Here's the news from my perspective...

'Diplomatic Illness'

Poor Hilary Clinton! She fainted and suffered a concussion, causing her to be confined to her home all week. Well, how convenient! She had been scheduled to testify about what she knew about the attack on Benghazi, which killed four Americans, but, (cough, cough), she was just too sick to testify.

The good news is aides say Hilary is "on the mend," and she will testify next month..... unless, of course, she develops a sudden case of amnesia from the concussion!

Meaning of Life

At a news conference to discuss the Connecticut school shooting, Barack Obama put on quite an act, even feigning a tear. He might have been a little more believable if he didn't still have the blood on his own hands from those four Americans he let die in Benghazi. Or I might have believed him more if he hadn't voted against the Born Alive Act, a bill that requires doctors to give care to babies who survive abortions.

A friend on Facebook put it so well when she wrote, "Spare us the display of sympathy. Life is cheap as far as you are concerned, Mr. President. How can you weep over 20 dead children and ignore the millions you have helped destroy? You are a fraud whose hypocrisy shames your office." Amen!

Where Have You Been?

ABC News' Jake Tapper dared to challenge Obama on the issue of gun control, asking the president "Where have you been" in the last four years? Obama shot back with his snippy answer: "Here’s where I’ve been, Jake – I’ve been President of the United States dealing with the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, an auto industry on the verge of collapse, two wars — I don’t think I’ve been on vacation."

Well, he's actually been on dozens of vacations in the last four years..... and on the golf course...... and on the campaign trail. He hasn't been dealing with the economic crisis.... he made it worse! He didn't save the auto industry..... he interfered in their business! He hasn't fought two wars.... he sat by and let four Americans die in Benghazi and then staged an elaborate cover-up! That's where he's been, Jake.

 

Man of the Year

Time magazine named Obama its "Person of the Year." Why stop there? Why not make him "Person of the Decade" and "Person of the Century," too?

Here's MY pick for "Person of the Year": Dan Cathy, president of Chick-fil-A. In this time of economic turmoil, Mr. Cathy is a model of business success. He bases his life on biblical principles, and his business has thrived. He's a man of great integrity and genuine love for the country. Thank you, Mr. Cathy, for standing by your convictions and showing the nation how a real leader should live by godly example. You are 2012's Person of the Year!

Mayan Calendar vs. God's Calendar

If you believe the Mayans, time is running out! The Mayan calendar predicts the world will end on Dec. 21. Hey, that's next week! Shouldn't we all be panicked right now? No, don't worry, it's not the Mayan calendar we should be concerned about, It's God's calendar that matters.

If the Mayans are right, we won't be around anyway. If they're wrong, it's just one more miscalculation in a manmade prediction.

Remember Harold Camping who predicted the world would end last year — on Oct. 21? He spent $140,000 to put up billboards across the country, warning people to "Save The Date." He said Jesus would return May 21, 2011, and that the world would end five months later on Oct. 21. But he was wrong. Camping previously claimed the world would end in September 1994. He was wrong then, too.

The prophets in the Bible never set dates for the end of the world. Actually, the Bible says the world will never end. It will be remade by holy fire.

 

In 2 Peter 3:12-13, it says, "as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming, that day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth."

 

When talking about the time of His return to earth while He was still here in the flesh, Jesus said, "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Matthew 24:36).

 

Jesus gave this warning to all people, urging them to be spiritually prepared for His sudden return. “Therefore keep watch because you do not know the day or the hour." (Matt. 25:13).

 

Christ’s coming for believers in the rapture is imminent. It can happen at any moment. No calendar — Mayan or otherwise — can predict that glorious event. Jesus IS coming soon!   Be prepared!

The Hand of God

The hand of God is a guiding force in our lives. In times of uncertainty, we can know that God is directing our path. 

Life is more than a sequence of chance happenings. The Bible teaches that the life of a good man is directed, ordered and arranged by the Lord. For the righteous man, his course of life is under divine guidance and control. Psalm 37:23 says, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way."

Author Squire Rushnell calls this kind of divine guidance "godwinks." In his book, he says a godwink is what some people would call an answered prayer or simply a coincidence. For followers of Christ, life — and what happens to us — is much more than coincidence or happenstance. God has laid out a path for our lives, and we must walk by faith.

When we walk by faith, God will "divinely align" us by unfolding godwinks along our path, Rushnell says. God lets us use our free will to aim for our own destiny, but He gives us signs, or godwinks, to look for on our journey. These signs — like signs on a highway — guide us and reassure us that we're on the right path.

I've experienced godwinks in my own life. Time after time, I've clearly felt God's hand guiding me. He has always put the right people in my path at the right time to propel me to the next stage of life.

I remember the high school teacher who encouraged me to start writing. That led me to study journalism in college. I remember when I went off to college and how God opened all the right doors for me.  I remember then trying to find a job. I applied for several internships while in college, but no one would give me a chance.

Even then, I know God was at work behind the scenes. In the summer before my senior year, a new professor was hired to head the journalism department. As I worked closely with him that year, he began to show some of my work to his wife, who happened to be the executive editor of a newspaper in our area. She followed my progress that year and later called and offered me a job after I graduated. That was the beginning of a 17-year career as a copy editor. It never would have happened if God hadn't been directing my path.

It's during the uncertain times in life that we especially need to walk by faith.

As Rushnell put it, "the closer we get to that perspective — by getting closer to God — the more our faith will grow in the promise that there is a grand plan for each of our lives and that every piece fits perfectly together."