How to make the most 2009
Proverbs 17:24 (The Good News Version) “An intelligent person aims at wise actions, but a fool starts off in many directions.”
Can you believe that this year is over? It seems that with each passing year time just speeds up. We all can do the one of two things this New year:
· We can waste it away by sitting around and worrying about the things we failed to accomplish last year, or the mistakes we made through out the year.
OR
· We can decide to make the most of this New Year that God as granted us. This could be the greatest year of your life that you have had up to this point, if you make a conscience decision to do whatever it takes to have a great year.
The point I want to get across is, whatever we’re going to do with our lives this year, we had better get on the move because time is moving on. So what are you going to do with 2009? How will this year be any different than last year? We can’t change last year.
Remember “ A fool starts off in many directions. ” BUT “ An Intelligent person aims at wise actions”. That means they have a goal, an objective, an aim, a target. Have you set any goals for 2009? Or are you just going to walk into this year and hope it’s better? You’ve got to have a plan.
Here are four keys that will help all of us get the most out of the year 2009.
A – Accept responsibility for your life.
This is something that is hard for many people to do. Some people would rather blame someone else for the problems and difficulty in their lives.
Everything bad in your life is somebody else’s fault. Blame the environment. Blame the educator. Blame your parents. Blame anybody else, but it’s not your fault.” If you get in an accident, it’s never your fault. If you spill some hot coffee on yourself, sue McDonalds; it’s their fault. It’s always somebody else’s fault. We will never be a success in life and we will never make our lives count if we have the attitude that it’s someone else’s fault. We must accept responsibility for our own lives.
Galatians 6:5 “Each person must be responsible for himself.”
Here is the truth of this scripture. I am responsible for my own life, if I like it or not.
While we may not be in control of all the circumstances that we will face this coming year, we do have control of how we will act and respond to them.
We need to understand that there are three kinds of people in life.
There are accusers.
There are excusers.
There are choosers.
There are accusers. They always blame everybody else for their problems. Their favorite phrase is, “It’s all your fault.” It’s never my fault. It’s someone else’s fault.
There are the excusers. Excusers are people that always have an excuse for not making a decision or doing something. There’s always a reason why they can’t make the most or get the most out of their year. I’ve discovered that whenever I want to procrastinate on something, any excuse will do. The Bible says, “A lazy man is full of excuses.”
There are the choosers, they say, “I choose to accept responsibility for my own life, goals and happiness. I’m not dependent upon somebody else. I choose the direction of my life.” I’m not depending upon the crowd. If we do this, we will already be a jump ahead in 2001.
B – Believe I can change
Stop saying, “I can’t” and start saying, “I can”. The person that believes that they can change with the help of God will change.
Philippians 4:13 (Jerusalem Bible) “There is nothing I cannot master with the help of Christ who gives me strength.”
With the help and grace of God I can overcome the past and face the future. I have a new handle own life for this coming year. I believe and know I can change. Not on my own power, but with the power that Christ gives me.
God can use me and God can use you. The good news is God wants to use you. First you must accept responsibility for your own life. And second you must believe you can change, and that God can give you the power to change if you’ll trust Him.
C – Clarify what I really want
You must decide what’s important and what’s not important. God has given each of us an incredible gift called the freedom to choose, the freedom of choice.
The only way you can clarify what you really want is to make a list and decide what is important and what is not.
Most people have never made up their mind what they want out of life and if you aim at nothing, you’re going to hit it.
I want to challenge each of you to, make a list of things that are important to you, a list of things that you want to accomplish. Write it down. Then make this your prayer list and watch God do miracles in your life.
We are going to have to make a decision between what is good and what is better. Between what is better and what is best. Some things aren’t necessarily wrong; they’re just not necessary.
A few suggestions of things that need to be at the top of your list?
Your relationship with God needs to be #1.
Your relationship with your family #2.
Your relationship with your church and church family #3.
Clarify what’s important.
D – Don’t wait to begin.
Do it now! Do it now!!! If you and I wait for the right situation or the right kind of circumstances we will miss out on life all together. There will never be an ideal set of circumstance to start out on. To make the most of 2009 and to accomplish the things you want to accomplish, start now. Don’t wait to begin.
Ecclesiastes 11:4 “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.”
We always say, “ When things settle down.” Or “When things get better.” The problem is things may never settle down or get any better. That’s called life! If you’re out there using that as an excuse, “ When things settle down or get better, I’m going to start having a daily quiet time and read my Bible every day,” you’re never going to do it.
There are a lot of people that have missed out on life waiting for the ideal set of circumstance or waiting for things to get better. While they were waiting, time just kept right on going and passed them by.
What kind of person will you be this year? Will you be an accuser, an excuser, or a chooser? Will you choose to make the most of 2009? Will you accept responsibility for your life? Will you believe you can change? Will you clarify what you want this year and what is important to you? Will you start right now? Will your relationship with God be on the top of your priority list? Will your family and church be at the top of that list? The choice is yours. What will it be?
Anticipate!!!!
Pastor Bryan and Angie
P.S. Don’t forget the prayer meeting this Wed. to bring in the new year see ya there!!!!
