HOPE in 2016

Another year has passed. Was it a good one for you and your family?  Were there things that you would have liked to do differently?  More importantly, is it really possible to make a plan that will cause the coming year to be a better one?  Who could give us such a plan?  How could we make it a reality? We’re not talking about New Year’s resolutions which are easily broken.  We are talking about renewing our strength DAILY so that we can succeed in what we have to do. 

This world is often such a busy, hustling, bustling place and it’s easy to become weary of it all. When that happens to you there is a place of refuge where you can renew your strength. The LORD promises us strength which we can have no matter our age.  Yes, another year has passed and we will be another year older.  But, we truly can be strengthened daily to accomplish all that is on our “to do” list which often starts with “I MUST DO” these things today! So, as the dawn of a new year breaks ask the Lord (who is Jesus Christ) for a strength and resolve that can’t possibly come from your own will but CAN come from Him. In the Old Testament book of Isaiah God promises this:

Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)
But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

Waiting upon the Lord means giving Him your cares and trusting Him to always be there for you. In The New Testament God offers another promise:

Philippians 4:13 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
I have strength for all things in Christ who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].

We can have an “I CAN DO” attitude when we know that Christ is in us. He is our Hope of Glory…
We want to offer you hope in this lost and dying world because we know that Jesus is real; He is alive; He is working in the world today when we trust Him and call upon Him. In Romans 10:13, His Word says: For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

Many believe that “saved” only means to inherit eternal life (which is true) but it also means to be whole and well in this world. 
So, don’t count on others to give you a good 2016. Don’t count on a new gym membership or a new diet or a new anything other than a new hope in Jesus. Through trusting Him and trusting He is working in us, we have the ‘hope’ of a good future for the New Year. 

Jeremiah 29:11 (AMP)
For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the LORD, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope.

~ Joanne and Sarah