Weekly Devotion

January 26 2020

When I began ministry many years ago, I found myself as a youth minister. It was a great learning experience. I discovered quickly that the youth minister is often a “catch-all” for jobs around the church that others aren’t fond of doing. One of my “catch-all” responsibilities was children’s moments during worship. Frequently, I would put my foot in my mouth. Who knew you couldn’t say, “crappy” during a children’s moment? 

 

I also learned a very valuable lesson about questions. You may know the answer you are seeking to elicit, but that doesn’t guarantee you’ll get it. One New Year’s Sunday, I asked the children, “What do adults do at New Year’s?” I wanted them to say, “make New Year’s resolutions.” Instead, one child loudly proclaimed, “my daddy gets drunk!” Needless to say, we had to pivot quickly.

 

Maybe you don’t have a child who will share your most embarrassing attributes in the middle of worship. Perhaps you’re good at hiding what you don’t want the world to see, but eventually your shortcomings will damage or embarrass you. More importantly, they will keep you from being the person God desires. 

 

That story always reminds me about the power of intentions. The effectiveness of resolutions, New Year’s or otherwise, rests in our desire to see them through. Ultimately, we have to decide if we’re okay being the way that we are. If not, what concrete steps are we going to take to get there. You don’t need a calendar change to grow and improve. God makes that available to us each and every day.

 

What steps are you taking in this new year to improve your walk with God? As one preacher said, “we’ve learned a lot about lengthening life but very little about deepening it.” Deepen your faith this year and don’t let the past hold you down. Remember our God is a creating God. Newness is where God thrives.

 

Isaiah 43:18-19

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”