“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9
Happy New Year! I always love the beginning of a new year – a fresh, clean slate, a new beginning. I’m celebrating the new start this year provides. Are you? We cannot change the past, but we most certainly can start new today. That is the beauty that grace provides. There’s always new hope that comes with the start of another year, and this year, like every other, offers me that hope. I’ve witnessed remarkable favor from God’s hand over the past 12 months, and I’m beginning 2013 with a hopeful expectation: God will continue to be faithful. He goes with me.
As I look forward to another year, I rest in the promise found in Joshua 1:8-9. This past year has provided countless blessings and opportunities that I couldn’t have fathomed occurring, yet as I look back, I’m reminded of the truth that I was never alone. Every place that the Lord led me, He went with me. There was never a reason to fear because I was provided with His constant presence. This is the hope to which I cling.
The command is to be strong and courageous. To what has the Lord called you? Whom has God allowed your life’s path to cross and for what purpose? Be strong and courageous in that endeavor. God is with you wherever you go. This is a much needed reminder for myself as I look forward to all that this year might hold. I have dreams. I have goals. I have desires that I would love to see come to fruition. And I need not fear. God goes with me. And the work that He gives me, He will equip me for. I am confident of this. 2013, whatever you bring, might I be a tool that is effectively used for God’s Kingdom in all things and in every situation. I commit to walking in obedience in 2013, to live according to God’s Word. I will be strong in His strength and courageous by His might, for the Lord goes with me. And He goes with you. 2013, let’s do this!
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