Annnd... welcome back my beautiful friend and family to this our very last post of the year 2022!!! Before saying anything else, and as this is the last time we'll be sharing together until next year (literally 😁) let me just say: HAPPY NEW YEAR 2022!!!!!!!🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳
WAOOO... it has truly been another difficult year but still, we are here once more and ready to receive 2022. What an awesome blessing God has given us all to be alive this magical time of the year when in all of our minds everything seems to 'restart'. New year is awesome because there's a certain psychological aspect to the celebration. It's a time when we all feel all of our past year's problems and mistakes disappear and we're ready to begin again. After all, that's why the infamous "new year's resolution list" is spoken of so much. Right? Every one wants to start fresh and commit to their goals and that's just great but... what is the deal with resolution lists?
It is no surprise, there are literally hundreds of articles online speaking about it, that about 80%+ of the population committing to "New Year's resolutions" stop being committed by the first two weeks of February... truly. Revenues in the fitness industry see exponential increase in January and then, it all falls and stabilizes by mid-February. Same happens with the diet/weight loss business, same with the book industry... and so on. What is even more amazing to me is the fact that, again, there's an embedded psychological mental process for which many actually hold on to commit to better their lives until "new year comes" and still, even then, fail to commit. There's this famous phrase that I really love and hope to embrace each day:
"Don't leave for tomorrow that which you can accomplish today" - someone smart
Friend, I know New Years celebrations are about to start and we all want to be with our loved ones or celebrating so I am going to keep this post short. Considering the tons of online articles about resolutions, committing to them, and the "why's" about it, I am totally not going to write about that, I am going to write about something far more important... God, Jesus and true change. See, one of the things I love THE MOST about God, and I know this might sound 'cliché', is His merciful character. I truly mean this. Let's look at this verse:
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" - 2 Corinthians 5:17
...let me throw one more at you:
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9
... one more... one more:
"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." - Lamentations 3:22-23
Are these verses refreshing or what?! Just so we're on the same page, let me decode all these verses for you. All this means that with Jesus, EVERY DAY is a new start... so yes, you do NOT need to wait until New Years celebration to feel like you can restart. Even more specific than that, every time (second, minute or hour) that you come into His presence and ask to be forgiven, or ask for a new spiritual start, He grants you that fresh start. If this is not true love, I don't know what is. God truly is the representation of what unconditional loves is and how it expresses onto others. God loves you so much that NO MATTER WHAT YOU HAVE DONE or WHAT YOU ARE CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH, He extends you His arm to get you out of wherever you are, and into His protective arm... forever. He is willing, every day, every minute, every hour, to give you the fresh start you are looking for.
Last year it was my resolution to start fresh with God and asked Him to guide me. I can tell you right now that pursuing that resolution has been the best decision of my life. I have zero regrets but the contrary, many meaningful experiences and memories to treasure between me and God.
Friend, brother, sister... you want to know how to make a good resolution list? Make it your resolution to come to Jesus and build a relationship like never before. Make it your resolution to not start nor finish your day without coming to Jesus; without asking guidance, direction, and a fresh start. Do this, trust that He will give that to you because He has promised, and your life will change forever for the good. Listen, it was not my plan to be writing in this blog nor to be making YouTube videos, my plan was to come to Jesus. Simply to serve Him the best I could and guess what happened along the way...? God gave me direction, purpose and new goals, so out of 1 resolution, I ended up making habits I didn't even knew I wanted to make a habit of.
Getting skinny, in shape, reading a book a month, getting a better job, getting richer or a getting new house... all are 'good' goals, but none of them will truly ever fully satisfy the thirst of your true self. Think about it, I bet you have had things in the past that you once said of: "when I get that _______, I will be set". Then you had it (whatever it was) and now you have moved on and want something else. We all commit to things and then don't push through because of many different reasons, but you know who commits each day to His resolution? God.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16
Ever since the fall of man, Jesus, God, had a plan in place to redeem us from absolute doom. We failed Him and He made it His resolution to restore a connection between the human race and God. He made it His resolution to pay the price we were to pay in order to redeem us. He committed, and so He did push through. Today we have 100%, 24/7 access to invoke the name of Jesus and the guarantee that He WILL come to us regardless of where we are. Put Jesus, put God, in the front seat when it comes to making new habits, new resolutions, and everything else will fall into place. It really will.
In the Bible we see God caring not only for His people's obedience, but also their health, their habits, their priorities... Jesus is an all-inclusive package. Just as you want to please someone you love because it feels good to something for that special person, you'll want to please Jesus (who only wants what's best for you). Just as when two people come together and the more time they spend together the more they mold into each other, you will come to Jesus and without even perceiving it, you will start to mold in this very obvious yet imperceptible transformation. Even more, you will get a sense of purpose and direction like you never have felt before so... what are you waiting for?
God is a God of beginnings. You don't have to wait until New Years to feel like you can start, and you definitely don't have to worry for a massive resolution list to make yourself be better. Come to Jesus, and everything else will fall into place. I wish I could say that's "my 100% guarantee", but it's actually Jesus' 100% guarantee.
"Then He who sat on the throne [Jesus] said, “Behold, I make all things new...” - Revelations 21:5
In this 2022... Come to Jesus.
Before you leave, here I leave with you one of my favorite videos ever made about the true character of Jesus. Please, take 5 minute to watch.
Until next year!
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