New Years!

First off, HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!

What a great time to celebrate the blessings God gave us in the year 2009! Also, we get to look ahead to 2010 and make some goals for the new year. Those goals are what we call new year's resolutions. If you just think about it for a couple of minutes, this holiday is actually a weird holiday! It is one of very few holidays that all the countries celebrate on the same day. You can watch fireworks from all over the world, Syndey, Beijing, Paris, etc. We even get a day or two off work. So much celebration for one night/day, and after the celebration is done we start all over. A new year, a fresh start!

Matt led us through a talk about New Year's, and we looked at Leviticus 23. In this chapter, we read about the feasts of the Lord and the Sabbath. These yearly feasts were a remarkable event much like New Year's, but they were not to be observed more than what we call the Lord's day or day of rest. This Sabbath day of feasts was holy and a time meant to glorify God! How often do we think of New Year's as a time that is holy?

This new year, think some changes you would like to make in your life. Think of how you can glorify God with these changes. So as you think of what your new year's resolutions are... whether it's giving more, being more loving, or losing weight.. It can be done for the glory of God.

Acts 20:35, "And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'"

Matthew 5:43-45a, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven."

1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

Happy 2010, a new start!

~Ash