Much Ado About Something

For some folks, New Year’s Eve is the biggest party all year. But why celebrate a new year?

That’s the question that came to mind as I watched a report last week showing fireworks and New Year’s celebrations around the world. And it’s hard to come up with a logical answer.

Maybe it’s like the title of Shakespeare’s play, “Much ado about nothing.” But I think not.

In some countries the New Year is a major holiday like Thanksgiving in the United States. But while every country doesn’t agree on the date (most do use January 1), all seem to agree it should be celebrated. Cultures that keep yearly calendars all have New Year celebrations.

Perhaps it’s a collective sigh of relief: “We made it through last year and survived!” Maybe.

But I suspect it has more to do with the feeling of a fresh start. A turning of the page, as it were. Regardless of what happened last year, we feel like anything is possible in the New Year!

Now hold it right there for just a minute. Why does turning the calendar page to January carry so much emotional power?

Could it be that something deep in the human heart longs for a “clean slate?” A “fresh start?”

Life is such a “do it yourself” mess, isn’t it? Who hasn’t thought, “I know I could do better if I just got another chance”? And a new year seems to offer us that chance.

But every year we discover that a “second chance” isn’t the answer we thought it’d be! We still make mistakes. Life is still a big mess.

As we become wiser and more self aware, we slowly begin to realize that the problem is more than just making bad choices. It’s WHY we make those choices to begin with.

Sooner or later we realize that human beings are completely selfish. At first we think it’s just other people. But if we’re willing to be honest with ourselves, we realize we are selfish, too.

What if you could go back and start life over and know what you know now? You could certainly avoid the bad choices and mistakes you’ve made along the way, couldn’t you?

The truth is, you’d make other equally bad choices. Then what? A third or fourth chance?

In the Bible God offers everyone an amazing solution: A truly new beginning. To be born again. But not as the same old person. Instead God gives us the power to make right choices.

God’s solution is not a physical rebirth but a spiritual rebirth. It begins when we put our trust in Jesus Christ to save us from our sin and from ourselves.

When we come to God through Christ, the Bible says God forgives and forgets our mistakes. Then he gives us a new nature capable of living right and choosing right.

The Bible adds, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God.”

This is where other religions fall short. They lack the ability to change us on the inside.

To read about it yourself, pick up a Bible and start in the third chapter of the Gospel of John.

Now don’t misunderstand me. Christ’s followers can still make bad choices. They can still be selfish. What has changed is their main motivation. Life is no longer all about them. It is about God and pleasing him and serving others.

Only God can give us a true fresh start. For golfers it’s the ultimate “Mulligan” --a “do over” for your life!

A new life in Jesus Christ—now that’s something worth celebrating!

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!

Change for Good

If you’re reading this New Year’s Eve, now’s the time to make some changes in your life.

First, if you're in the area, go see the movie, “Flywheel” (9 p.m. tonight) at First Brethren in Buena Vista. Fun family-friendly celebrations on New Year’s Eve are in short supply. But this is an exception! And admission is free—so you can afford to bring the whole family! (If you're not in the area, go buy or rent it and watch it.)

“Flywheel” will not only entertain you, it will challenge you to change your life for good. Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar said “Flywheel” is “entertainment that packs a message right where we all live and work.”

In the movie, Jay Austin is a used car dealer you hope you’ll never meet. Even his wife and his son don’t trust him! What’s worse, all his dreams are crumbling around him.

This movie will get you thinking about how today could be the beginning of a new day in your life. As Jay Austin learns, “In every man’s life there is a turning point.”

Movie critic Ted Baehr said Flywheel “Totally captures and entertains.”

But wait, there’s more! There will be free popcorn, door prizes and you can “Ring in the New Year” with the church bell at midnight! The whole family will enjoy it.

That being said, what about 2008? Some of you are reading this in the New Year.

Well hold it right there for just a minute. Before you take another step into 2008, look at where your life is headed.

If you’re not completely happy with where life is taking you, why not change direction? Remember the dreams you once had? Now’s the time to dream again about what could be.

Whether you’re just starting your life’s journey, halfway through or near the end—make a turn toward something better soon or another year will be gone before you know it!

Remember that life is temporary. Eternity is forever. So Jesus asked, “How do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your soul in the process?”

And what good is it to finish “at the top of your game” if you lose your family?

Wherever your relationships are with God and your family, it can be better. Why settle for less than the best? Your life and your relationships are worth whatever it takes to save them.

The message of the Bible is that the outcome of your life is not determined by your income. It is decided by your priorities. Whether you realize it or not, what you spend your life pursuing becomes your god.

God intended for life to be about so much more than money, power, influence, sex, drugs, possessions, fame or anything else on this earth. Even giving your life to a great cause, like saving the planet, will ultimately leave you feeling empty inside.

The secret to a full and meaningful life is not tied to your riches but to your relationship with God. Jesus said, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.”

History is strewn with the wreckage of famous people who spent their lives pursuing personal pleasures, fame and “success.” Do you really have to go down that road to prove again that it leads nowhere?

Now’s the time to change for good. Ask God to take the “steering wheel” of your life. To give you a life that is not just good or better--but best. Make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life.

The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do and he will direct your paths.”

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!