Good morning. It is 12/31, the last day of the year. Perhaps 2022 will go down in your personal records as one of your best, a great blessed year in many ways. I hope so, but I also realize that feeling this way would make you a bit of a rarity. Most people seem to think 2022 was a year to survive and forget. Whichever is true for you, I would suggest that ending this year and beginning the next with good choices is an excellent idea.
Choose to persevere, to hang in there, to never give up. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. James 1:12
The Lord doesn’t promise that His faithful followers will have nothing but calm seas and smooth sailing. He does promise that whatever our circumstances, He will bring all things together to bless us.
Choose to continue on the right path. The enemy will always provide alternatives that seem reasonable, even desirable, but God’s path is the only way to blessing. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.2 John 1:8
Choosing to serve the Lord in all circumstances has always been a challenge, but it has always been the way to blessing as well. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”Joshua 25:15
One year ends and another year begins, but our truth remains the same. Choosing the way of our Lord Jesus will bring us always closer to Him while choosing the way of the world around us will eventually take us down. Please, make good choices today and tonight, and commit to them for the year to come.
Vern