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2012 - An Opportunity to Rejoice and Be Glad
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
2012 will soon be underway. For most of us, going from 2011 to 2012 will not involve a lot of big changes in our daily routines. In fact, the biggest change many of us will make (or at least attempt to make) is to write 2012 instead of 2011. With the coming of a new year, we not only have a day, but a whole year that God is giving us so that we can rejoice and be glad.
But why rejoice? Why be glad? What great things does 2012 have in store for us that 2011 did not have?
If we live for ourselves – with the attitude of eating, drinking, and being merry – 2012 will probably have nothing for which we can rejoice and be glad. You see, if that is our attitude, we need many things to keep us happy. Needing things, we will have to work to be happy. The more we have, the more we will want, and the more we will have to work. Living for ourselves become a vicious circle in which we have either no time or very little time to eat, drink and be merry.
Looking away from ourselves, 2012 will present many opportunities to rejoice and be glad. Joshua knew that as he said to the whole congregation of Israel: … choose this day whom you will serve … as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15) Serving the Lord we will see the many opportunities we have to rejoice and be glad.
And where will we see these opportunities? We will see them as we are in God’s Word. There we see how He has blessed His people in the past, and knowing that God is a faithful God, He will be with us as well. God has made that promise, and He will keep it. His love and His faithfulness is constant and endures forever.
That is a reason to rejoice. We have a God who loves us so much that He sent His Son that we might have life – abundant life filled with rejoicing. As we live for Him in 2012 may we find this year (as every year) blessed in His service.
In Christ’s service,
Pastor Jabs
