Time and Eternity

Just read a cartoon where a little girl asks “What will this new year bring?” and the response is “365 opportunities”…

My first thought (well, actually, my first thought was doesn’t this little person know about leap years!, but my first thought that bears repeating and thinking about…) was this: the year doesn’t bring anything. The year is totally inanimate. All these people predicting 2012 are predicting nothing because 2012 is not a living thing.

You are a living being. I am a living being. We are created in the image and likeness of an awesome God. God is a living being. God can bring you something, a friend can bring you something. But the year cannot.

Nothing is going to magically change in your life because the calendar date has changed. (This isn’t a ra-ra message, I know!). Nothing is going to be different because the year is 2012 not 2011.

What changes is us. We change. For some people 2012 is going to be the worst year of their life. Because of the choices that they make, the things they say and do, this year is going to be a tragedy for them.

For other people 2012 is going to be the best year of their life. Because of the choices they make, what they say and do, this year is going to be a year of victory, of joy and of life in abundance…

I remember about 6 years ago being forced by a friend to listen to this “mighty prophet” prophesy about the new year. This guy was in a large football stadium and his prophecy went like this:

“Next year, some people are going to be better off, others will be worse off. Next year, it will go well for some, for others not so well.”

Now, that’s not the Biblical gift of prophecy – that’s hamming it up like Mystic Meg. That’s covering all your bases to cover yourself.

But do you know, although he was wrong to masquerade it as a “prophetic gift”, this guy had real wisdom: some people are going to have a great year, other’s are not.

So when you next hear a prophetic word for 2012 (And I am NOT against prophetic words, I have received a prophetic word for 2012, and I have typed out Dave Duell’s and use it to stand on) realize this: if you don’t make the right choices, your year will be worse. No matter what… you need to make good decisions, you need to choose life.

What sort of choices are good choices this year?

1. Bible. It is the Word of God. It is the only source of unpolluted wisdom in the world! Get that into your eyes and ears and you won’t struggle with condemnation any more because you will know that you are righteous. You don’t read your Bible to get standing, you read it to get understanding. Find out what is yours and you will never let anyone steal it from you again.

2. Good Friends. Bad company corrupts good character. This year, take a good look at the lives of your best friends. Do you want to be like that? Well, unless you change friends you will. That is simple.

3. Good Books. Read books about heroes, about your career, about faith. Let yourself be inspired.

Enjoy!