Get ready shipmates! Grab a cup of your most favorite beverage (coffee, hot tea, coco) then sit back and watch the final 2015 data come in. Song of the year, movie of the year, car of the year, State Champs, National Champs, … and the list goes on. Did you make the list? Last year was a great year for many. The thrill of looking back and remembering their accomplish-ments will linger for years. But that was last year and there’s no guarantee of a repeat performance. Or is there? We who are believers would shout yes! Yes because we have the formula to have a great year every year. Our God has given us the formula to be successful in all that we do. And not just for one year but for a lifetime. We can accomplish our goals, provide for as well as protect our household while having a positive impact in ministry. That formula lies in the wisdom, knowledge and understanding of His Word. An example is Psalm 37:4-5, “Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him and He will do it.” Obedience to God results in a great life, a successful life. Another example is Matthew 6:33, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” God guarantees that if we put His agenda first, He will provide the necessities of life that we need to survive. And let’s not forget 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” Following God’s law of sowing and reaping works to our advantage if we apply it faithfully. Just as “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, God’s definition of a great year often differs from society’s definition. But since we are in the world, but not of the world, we can live with that. How then do we make 2016 a great year? King Solomon summed it up best. “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13.
Article post by Henry Hopson