A New Year of Hope: Lay a New Foundation with God's Light

 When I think about the word foundation, the words from the hymn “How Firm a Foundation” surface clear and distinct. The words of the hymn speak to the issues we’ve faced for the past two years and give hope for making this year count for good. It is possible to lay a new foundation for blessings and hope by permitting the love of Christ Jesus to dominate your life.

What are you willing to change in the way you live your life that will honor God so you can experience his blessings and his peace? Since we are people, we fall short of being who we could be, but by God’s mercy and kindness we can go forward to fulfill his purpose for us.

This new year will be different as you come clean with God by repenting of every sin that’s preventing you from experiencing his peace. Refuse to live in the shadows of what’s hidden deep in your soul by permitting the light of Christ Jesus to purify you of all unrighteousness.  He will do it. Happy New Year.

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The solid foundation that God has laid cannot be shaken; and on it are written these words: “The Lord knows those who are his” and “Those who say that they belong to the Lord must turn away from wrongdoing.”

~2 Timothy 2:19 Good News Bible

My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and that you will understand the hope that was given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of God’s people.

~Ephesians 1:18 Contemporary English Version

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A New Year of Hope: Lay a New Foundation with God's Peace

When you think about the word foundation, what comes to your mind? What do you visualize? What are the main ingredients in a foundation that carries the weight of hope and blessings and is supported by the peace that only God can provide? A life based on God’s word provides strength for meeting each day’s challenges.

Secret sins that date far back in your life can sabotage the blessings God wants to bestow on you. So go in search of what you have hidden away from the light of God’s forgiveness and mercy. It is not too late to repent and come clean with Christ Jesus.

Since this is the beginning of a new year, why not break with the past and permit the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to give you a new start by cleansing  you from all unrighteousness? You may have to make a new start every day, but that’s okay with God. He understands and will help you do it. Don’t hesitate. “Come every soul by sin oppressed, there’s mercy with the Lord.” Happy New Year. 

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For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

~Jeremiah 29:11 New King James Version

Everyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.

~2 Corinthians 5:17 Contemporary English Version

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A New Year of Hope: Lay a New Foundation with God's Promises

We are now beginning a New Year and a new phase of life for each of us. God does not give us the ability to know the future, but we can speculate about what is to come. Our speculations can produce either trust and assurance that God is at work to bring about our good or worry and anxiety about what might happen.

My dad was the worrying type and capable of projecting troublesome times, yet he consistently got up and went to work each day to prepare for an unseen future. Faith and peace are gifts from the Lord God who promises to meet our needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

So what would you say are your needs that are different from what you would say you want? Do you remember God’s promise that when we seek him and his kingdom by trusting in him with all our heart, he will never fail to meet our needs? To dispel your worries, express your gratitude to God for his goodness, and then rest in his peace and mercy. Happy New Year. 

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[Jesus said,] “Don’t worry, then, and say, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or, ‘What are we going to drink?’ or, ‘What are we going to wear?’ The people of the world run after all these things. Your Father in heaven knows you need them all. First, be eager to have God as your King and his righteousness, and you’ll get all these other things, too.”

~Matthew 6:31-33 Beck – New Testament in the Language of Today

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A New Year of Hope: Lay a New Foundation with Courage

As you think about celebrating the coming New Year, what would you like to accomplish in the days and months ahead that would be significant for you and others? It is possible for God to give you something purposeful that might seem out of bounds or even impossible considering your limitations. Remember, God has a way of making the impossible, possible.

What matters is your attitude that’s helped you cope with everything, including Covid, school, and work, just to name a few stressful issues. Yet upon close examination and honest consideration, there are an abundance of things to sincerely thank God for providing in a dreadful year.

What would you be willing for God to change so there could be hope for peace in the New Year? The Holy Spirit stands ready to give you courage to make reconciliations where there are divisions by reactivating hope for expressions of affection and peace. Be willing to respond positively to what God will provide in coming days.  

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May the Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and graciously given us encouragement that is eternal, and a hope that is well-founded, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good thing you do or say.

~2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 Williams – New Testament in the Language of the People

So cheer up! Take courage if you are depending on the Lord.

~Psalm 31:24 The Living Bible

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A New Year of Hope: Lay a New Foundaton with Prayer

 As we approach the coming New Year, what do you desperately want to leave behind that’s been a detriment to your peace and joy? It’s interesting how hurt feelings, anger, and hatred tenaciously cling to us emotionally and refuse to be discarded from our memory.

Building a new foundation for peace and joy cannot be accomplished where resentments are active or deeply buried in our subconscious where they have the tendency to pop up unexpectedly. One way to quiet old memories attached to resentments is to ask God to bless in specific ways those who hurt and wounded you so severely.

Praying for these people each day, or several times a day as the Holy Spirit sparks your memory, will bring about permanent healing and peace in your heart, mind, and spirit. Yes, it takes courage to do this systematically because you have to rebuff every justification for remaining resentful. But remember, Christ in you is greater than he, Satan, who is in the world.  

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Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying.

~Romans 12:12 Contemporary English Version

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A New Year of Hope - Lay a New Foundation with Faith

This past year has been a difficult year for numerous individuals from every strata of our culture. We are now at the doorstep of a new year, so the first thing we should consider is leaving behind the past burdens and hardships to make way for a new beginning. The question is, can this be achieved?

Believing it’s possible takes faith that a new foundation can be laid for a future that’s blessed by God. We can only experience the future in increments of minutes and hours. Deliberately thinking through what can be achieved with our gifts and talents is necessary for building a solid foundation.

Jesus’ parable of building a house on solid ground that will hold fast against storms including unsure economics, pandemics, and political divisions is critical for stability. A sure foundation is composed of faith and trust in Christ Jesus. Committing all we are and all we can accomplish into his care provides peace and hope for whatever the future brings our way. 

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“These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. These are foundation words, words to build a life on. If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last.”

~Luke 6:47-48 The Message

May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.

~Romans 15:13 Good News Bible

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