New Beginnings & Staying the Course
Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Ahh, January! For many, this month represents a time of excited anticipation and hope for what the new year will bring. While these feelings can certainly serve as a motivating springboard to “start the new year off right”, we have to be careful to avoid getting caught up in the feeling of newness as feelings may fade. Instead, we must choose to exert the ongoing participation required for the movement of change to take place in our lives. More specifically, God inspired change. We all know this requires intentionality, discipline, and responsibility, vital characteristics during those times we don’t feel like following through on what we know we should be doing. The great news is we have the best accountability partner in Christ the Lord! He is our biggest cheerleader, encourager and strengthener! The key to unlocking these priceless resources is ensuring our plans and desires are God inspired. Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.” This scripture comes with the condition that He will establish your plan. Translation = He will do it His way and in His time. While some may find this concerning, we can rest assured that it will work out for our good, (Romans 8:28)!
It is also imperative that we are open to hearing what the Lord wants to show us for this particular year. If you don’t already, I’d like to suggest seeking the Lord for your personal theme or word for the year. Many churches do this as a focus and goal for the church body. This practice is valuable for the individual as well for the same reasons. I’ve been doing this for seven years and found it to be a bonding practice for me and the Lord. When He gives me the theme at the beginning of the year, I already know one specific area I will be growing in for the year. Thus, when I face certain situations that are in line with the theme, there is an excitement to see the manifestation of God’s commitment to my growth which fosters motivation to do my part to see it through. This is not to say that you’ll master the theme, and all growth will be complete in that area. Some of my previous themes have resurfaced in subsequent years. I look at it like college level courses whereas the subject/theme may go from an introductory level to ensure a proper foundation before moving onto more advanced content. I’ve found it encouraging to look back on previous themes and note what the Lord has taught me and brought me through.
The theme scripture for this devotion, Phil. 1:6, tells us that the Lord will be working on our ongoing sanctification process until Christ returns. This sanctification process could also be until we take our last breath if He returns after we leave this earth. Either way, we can rest assured He is vested in our spiritual growth. This means that while January has a focus of “newness”, it is also a good time to take stock and have a conversation with the Lord about progress that has taken place and continued areas for growth. We all have personal areas of growth that are ongoing, and we may not be as excited to stay on course with these areas as we are the “new things”. However, anyone who has experienced achieving significant weight loss knows the actions it takes to achieve it and maintain it is ongoing and doesn’t stop for dates. The euphoria and confidence that comes with achieving the goal is priceless. We can experience this with spiritual growth too! While some areas in our lives may be an ongoing battle, we improve as soldiers when we fight and become better at implementing the spiritual tactics it takes to succeed.
Lastly, as stated before, many find January to be a time of hope and excitement. However, I pray this devotional is encouraging to those who are weary of January, fearful it will be another year of strife and/or pain. Let’s start the year by challenging the perspective of the lens we look through, grab God’s unchanging hand and be open to what He wants to show us. When we go on to experience things in 2025 and look at them from His vantage point, we’ll recognize it is never in vain. We have much to learn and discover with His guidance which fosters trust and encouragement along the way. We have nothing to lose and much to gain in Christ!
Happy New Year!!
Reflection: What theme has the Lord individually given you for 2025?
