Transitioning From One Year To The Next
Sunday December 31, 2017
In just a few hours the new calendar year will be upon us. On what basis can we hope to have a better year than we had in the past one? We sometimes feel overwhelmed at the beginning of a new year because we have so much stuff to wade through, so many unanswered questions in our minds, and so many painful things in our hearts. If we have come and gone from recovery in the past, then we are often concerned about our ability to maintain peace and joy in sobriety for any length of time.
God's answer is very positive, very simple and very direct. It comes in the form of an invitation: Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. (Ezekiel 18:30-31 NIV)
This year will very quickly become the old year and we are unable to change anything thing that happened in it. As we wait for the countdown to the new year, it’s good to reflect on what God offers to give us in the coming year -- a new heart and a new spirit. In fact, God says we will become a new person. Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT, Philippians 1:6 NIV)
This coming year is a fresh opportunity to go deeper in our experience of coming to believe that a power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity. We can’t fix ourselves but God can. “God could and would if He were sought.” This is the hope shared by one recovering friend to another. This is the promise that God makes to us this New Year’s Eve.
Prayer: Loving God, As I enter this new year I choose to leave my past with you. I lay down my fears and resentments. I receive Your comfort, Your forgiveness, and Your healing. I have confidence in Your assurance that You will complete the good work you have begun in me. Amen
©2017 Partners in Hope
More information on this and other related topics @ http://www.partnersinhope.ca/life-with-god-in-recovery-resources/
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