Today on Facebook,
I saw sooooooooo many people posting
about how awful 2009 was
& how glad they were to see it go.
That made me kinda sad.
Though I have NO idea
what these people dealt with in their lives,
I'm very thankful for my 2009.
Yes, it was a difficult year.
Financially, it was the hardest
year I've ever experienced.
BUT, I know the Lord NEVER
gives me more than I can handle
& for that I'm very grateful.
This past year made me realize
just how blessed I truly am,
I can do without,
& areas of my life that needed some cleaning out:)
So having said that,
I hope people will take the time
to really think about some positive aspects
of this past year.
I guess we could all say......."it could have been worse!!"
Anyway, enough from this soapbox,
here's my last two 2009 layouts.
On the first, I took inspiration from
the talented Nicole Samuels.
I won't post her layout,
but you can see it here.
I'm sure you can tell
which one I got the inspiration from.
Question: "What sort of New Year’s Resolution should a Christian make?"
Answer: The practice of making New Year’s resolutions goes back over 3000 years to the ancient Babylonians. There is just something about the start of a New Year that gives us the feeling of a fresh start and a new beginning. In reality, there is no difference between December 31st and January 1st. Nothing mystical occurs at midnight on December 31st. The Bible does not speak for or against the concept of New Year’s resolutions. However, if a Christian determines to make a New Year’s resolution, what kind of resolution should he or she make?
Common New Year’s resolutions are: to quit smoking, to stop drinking, to manage money better, and spend more time with family. By far the most common New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, in conjunction with exercising more and eating healthier. These are all good goals to set. However, 1 Timothy 4:8 instructs us to keep exercise in perspective: “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” The vast majority of New Year’s resolutions, even among Christians, are in relation to physical things. This should not be.
Many Christians make New Year’s resolutions to pray more, to read the Bible every day, and to attend church more regularly. These are fantastic goals. However, these New Year’s resolutions fail just as often as the non-spiritual resolutions, because there is no power in a New Year’s resolution. Resolving to start or stop doing a certain activity has no value unless you have the proper motivation for stopping or starting that activity. For example, why do you want to read the Bible every day? Is it to honor God and grow spiritually, or is it because you have just heard that it is a good thing to do? Why do you want to lose weight? Is it to honor God with your body, or is it for vanity, to honor yourself?
Philippians 4:13 tells us, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” John 15:5 declares, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” If God is the center of your New Year’s resolution, it has chance for success, depending on your commitment to it. If it is God’s will for something to be fulfilled, He will enable you to fulfill it. If a resolution is not God honoring and/or is not in agreement in God’s Word, we will not receive God’s help in fulfilling the resolution.
So, what sort of New Year’s resolution should a Christian make? Here are some suggestions: (1) Pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) in regards to what resolutions, if any, He would have you make; (2) Pray for wisdom as to how to fulfill the goals God gives you; (3) Rely on God’s strength to help you; (4) Find an accountability partner who will help you and encourage you; (5) Don’t become discouraged with occasional failures; instead allow them to motivate you further; (6) Don’t become proud or vain, but give God the glory. Psalm 37:5-6, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”
May you have a Blessed & Happy New Year!!
I saw sooooooooo many people posting
about how awful 2009 was
& how glad they were to see it go.
That made me kinda sad.
Though I have NO idea
what these people dealt with in their lives,
I'm very thankful for my 2009.
Yes, it was a difficult year.
Financially, it was the hardest
year I've ever experienced.
BUT, I know the Lord NEVER
gives me more than I can handle
& for that I'm very grateful.
This past year made me realize
just how blessed I truly am,
I can do without,
& areas of my life that needed some cleaning out:)
So having said that,
I hope people will take the time
to really think about some positive aspects
of this past year.
I guess we could all say......."it could have been worse!!"
Anyway, enough from this soapbox,
here's my last two 2009 layouts.
On the first, I took inspiration from
the talented Nicole Samuels.
I won't post her layout,
but you can see it here.
I'm sure you can tell
which one I got the inspiration from.
And to end my post,
I'd like to paste a little blurb
about New Years Resolutions.
It's rather lengthy,
but worth the read.
For me, this puts things in perspective:
I'd like to paste a little blurb
about New Years Resolutions.
It's rather lengthy,
but worth the read.
For me, this puts things in perspective:
Question: "What sort of New Year’s Resolution should a Christian make?"
Answer: The practice of making New Year’s resolutions goes back over 3000 years to the ancient Babylonians. There is just something about the start of a New Year that gives us the feeling of a fresh start and a new beginning. In reality, there is no difference between December 31st and January 1st. Nothing mystical occurs at midnight on December 31st. The Bible does not speak for or against the concept of New Year’s resolutions. However, if a Christian determines to make a New Year’s resolution, what kind of resolution should he or she make?
Common New Year’s resolutions are: to quit smoking, to stop drinking, to manage money better, and spend more time with family. By far the most common New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, in conjunction with exercising more and eating healthier. These are all good goals to set. However, 1 Timothy 4:8 instructs us to keep exercise in perspective: “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” The vast majority of New Year’s resolutions, even among Christians, are in relation to physical things. This should not be.
Many Christians make New Year’s resolutions to pray more, to read the Bible every day, and to attend church more regularly. These are fantastic goals. However, these New Year’s resolutions fail just as often as the non-spiritual resolutions, because there is no power in a New Year’s resolution. Resolving to start or stop doing a certain activity has no value unless you have the proper motivation for stopping or starting that activity. For example, why do you want to read the Bible every day? Is it to honor God and grow spiritually, or is it because you have just heard that it is a good thing to do? Why do you want to lose weight? Is it to honor God with your body, or is it for vanity, to honor yourself?
Philippians 4:13 tells us, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” John 15:5 declares, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” If God is the center of your New Year’s resolution, it has chance for success, depending on your commitment to it. If it is God’s will for something to be fulfilled, He will enable you to fulfill it. If a resolution is not God honoring and/or is not in agreement in God’s Word, we will not receive God’s help in fulfilling the resolution.
So, what sort of New Year’s resolution should a Christian make? Here are some suggestions: (1) Pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) in regards to what resolutions, if any, He would have you make; (2) Pray for wisdom as to how to fulfill the goals God gives you; (3) Rely on God’s strength to help you; (4) Find an accountability partner who will help you and encourage you; (5) Don’t become discouraged with occasional failures; instead allow them to motivate you further; (6) Don’t become proud or vain, but give God the glory. Psalm 37:5-6, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”
May you have a Blessed & Happy New Year!!
3 comments:
I am with you. I saw that on FB, too and thought how I am sad that the 2009 was ending. I had a great year and I kept thinking about all the fun we had this summer playing outside and going to the park with friends. We didn't take any trips and we didn't have a vacation...we just enjoyed our little family, here at home. Maybe they are talking about all the bad things that happend in the world in general and that is why they want 2009 to go.
Happy New Year!!! I hope the next one is as great!!!
Beautiful layouts, too :)
I love your layouts... absolutely gorgeous!!
I don't facebook, but I am glad that 2009 is gone. I do look on the bright side usually, but I can honestly say that 2009 was the worst year of my life.. I lost my grandpa, my mom found out she had cancer, and my grandma (in law) had a terrible fall and we had no idea if she was going to pull through surgery because of her age, etc... All this and like you, financially it was a very tight year. But... 2009 is over so i'm hoping & praying that 2010 is a much better year!
Wishing you & yours the very best of the new year!! :)
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