By now the rush of Christmas activities are a distant memory, and the reality of "business as normal" is our daily experience. Now, before we fall prey to the insidious danger of routine and complacency, let us determine to live every day of 2015 with great enthusiasm and expectation. We are all familiar with the saying, "Live today as if it is your last," and in essence that is what I am proposing - to myself as well as you.
What would happen if we treated each day as Christmas? If every day we were focused on blessing someone with a gift, whether that be our time or some of the stuff we have lying around or maybe buy? What if every day was filled with songs proclaiming Jesus Christ as Saviour and the Bringer-of-Peace? What if?
At a recent conference I attended the message given was loud and clear - there are no "if's" with God, only "when's". I was hugely encouraged by this and implemented it immediately in my own life. So now no longer do I make statements like, "If I had money I would..." but rather, now proclaim, "When I have money I will..." Although this is not a New Year's resolution, it is a resolution nonetheless. You see, as soon as we realize that God is God, and that we are created in His image, our faith can rise up like a roaring lion. It is faith that will allow us never to limit God by an "if", but really believe in the goodness and grace of a God whose plans for us are only the best.
When we fall into a soul-deadening routine, we also limit God to what He can accomplish in and through our lives. Yes, it does mean we have to make all routines into something unique and special. For instance, if my job requires me to carry boxes from one room to the next, then the carrying of boxes can soon become boring. However, it is the same carrying of boxes that pays my rent. So I carry on carrying boxes so I can carry on paying my rent. But what if I can turn carrying boxes into something exciting? What if it is not about the carrying as much as it is who I will meet on my journey from room to room? What if my focus is not the box itself, but what the contents thereof have the power to accomplish? Many other examples can be cited.
My prayer for you is to continue into 2015 with a whole lot of "when's" and no "if's." My prayer is that together we will be able to proclaim God's greatness, celebrate His goodness, and at the end of it stand tall as overcomers in His kingdom!
