Happy New, New Year!
Posted by: ba <ba@...>
http://www.forthright.net
Straight to the Cross
COLUMN: Thankful
Happy New, New Year!
by A. A. Neale
December 31st is a special day to me. It means I
have finished up one more year of life chocked
full of love and blessings and family and friends.
The Lord has been good to me in every sense of the
word, and I can't complain about a thing.
Oh, sure, I've had a lot of bumps and taken plenty
of wallops in my time. But every good road has a
clod now and then, so I'll not complain of the
ride because of it.
January 1st is a special day to me, too. It means
I have stuck my foot into a new year, and, though
only the good Lord knows how far I'll make it, it
gives even an old codger like me a chance to learn
new things, spread around a little of my limited
wisdom, and head a soul toward eternity together
with God.
And that's where I want to land today. I want you
to make double- triple- quadruple-sure that your
life is right with God today.
You may be a Christian who is not faithful to
God's call. You can make that right, here and now.
You may be a religious person following tradition
because your parents or aunt or uncle did. Please
know, my good friend, that you're walking a
dangerous trail. Throw away any teaching that
denies, contradicts, or cancels out the
commandment of God (Mk. 7:1-13).
You may have no spiritual commitments at all. You
may be what they call a seeker, or melon-thumper,
but haven't made up your mind yet. This is a
perfect time to jump whole-hog into the life with
Christ.
That means your next step is to put your faith and
trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and
follow him to the cross, by turning from sin to
serve God, publicly acknowledging him as your
Master, and plunging into a pool of water where he
has said you will meet the blood that gives life.
(See Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Luke 24:46-47;
Rom. 10:10; 1 Pet. 3:21.)
The writer of Hebrews pitied those poor Israelites
who offered the same old sacrifices year after
year and never got a clean bill of health. "But in
those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every
year" (Heb. 10:3, NKJV).
God's people today have a weekly reminder, nay, a
daily reminder of the One Final Sacrifice that
took care of all sin for all time. (Instead of
remembering sin, they remember forgiveness!) But I
find the new year a great time to celebrate as
well, much like the old wino who took any little
reason for another swig.
I'm swigging on the forgiveness of Christ, and
I'll take any little time marker or personal
reason of yours or mine to celebrate. More than
anything, I want to enlarge that celebration and
include as many folk as I can. That means you,
too.
So let's hit January 1st, if the Lord lingers that
long and you and I make it to the new year, as a
special day given to the Lord, because we are
saved by the blood of the Lamb. Make it right,
make it sure, make it certain.
This is one thing we can't afford to mess up.
Let's make it a happy new, new year.
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