Another Year to Love Him
By Maria Fontaine
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“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”—Ephesians 3:201
The end of one year and the beginning of the next is a good time to look back on the accomplishments and victories, as well as the mistakes of the old year, and to look forward with determination to do our best to make the new year an even better and more fruitful one! It’s encouraging to see all the challenges He helped you to overcome, the spiritual growth that you’ve experienced, and all the progress that you have made during this last year. He is pleased with every step you make to love and praise Him more, to allow Him to guide you, and to share His love with others.
As you commit the new year to Him, He can help you to consolidate last year’s gains, as you continue to acknowledge Him in all your ways and ask Him to guide your steps.2 He promises to direct your path, because you have placed your faith in Him. He is going to guide you and open the doors He has prepared just for you, as you commit your future and hopes to Him and trust in Him with all your heart.3
Every year can be a year of growth in the Spirit, growth in outreach, and growth in drawing closer to Jesus, if we commit it all into His safekeeping. His Word encourages you to weather any storms you may be facing, to hang on to hope no matter how big the waves may seem, or how powerful or how swift. If you’ll hang on to Him, He’ll hold you up and prosper you, and take you safely to the destination that He has planned for you. Remember, “The future is as bright as the promises of God!” and all you have to do to please the Lord is to do your best.
We all need to have a vision of what the Lord wants for us, something that will motivate us to keep going even when the going gets tough. Besides the direction the Lord has given you personally through His still‚ small voice speaking to your heart, He also speaks to each of us through His printed Word. Just think: He has given us His “exceeding great and precious promises,” through which we can actually partake of His divine nature!4
If you’re struggling about anything in your life, remember that it’s well worth it to hold on and to keep fighting the good fight of faith. If you keep the faith and hold tight to His promises to you, even at those times when it may seem as if all is lost, you will eventually see the fulfillment of the blessings that He has promised. He loves you, and will work every single challenge and difficulty to your good in some way, in this life or the next.
Think daily on all the gifts of love that He gives you, because He loves you—just you! He loved you enough to give His life for you. He still loves you enough to give His life for you. We just have to receive His gifts—His life, hope, joy‚ fulfillment, love, compassion, anointing, strength‚ help, and all His gifts and blessings, and His wonderful‚ life-giving words. Priceless treasures above all that we can ask or think!
He loves you above life itself, for He gave His life for you. His arms are around you. He watches over you every moment. He knows your every thought, your every desire, and He always answers in the way that He knows is best and will accomplish His will in your life. How richly blessed we are! How very much we have to be thankful for!
How can we respond to the depth of such love except to say thank You to the one who makes our lives possible, with all their blessings in the form of changes, challenges, and opportunities to serve Him and others, and the supply of all our needs according to His riches in glory.5 All praise and honor and glory to the one who, in His unfathomable greatness, rules the world in wisdom and righteousness, yet in His marvelous love cares for each of us as if we were the only one in this universe, speaking to us, listening to us, touching us with His compassion, tenderness, and mercy.
He daily loads us with His abundant blessings so that we have so much we can’t contain it all!6 We should be motivated to do all we can to share God’s love and truth with others so they can also partake of His never-ending riches in glory. And the more we share it, the more He’ll pour it on. The more we praise Him for what He has already given us, the more room we make to receive His wonderful gifts.
So let’s make a New Year’s resolution to keep giving His Word and truth to others, to keep loving others into His kingdom, and to keep praising Him for His excellent works and lovingkindness! You’ll continue to be amazed at all the wonderful things and miracles the Lord will do, as you commit your ways to Him every step of the way and every day of the year.
Another year to love Him
Whom I have loved so long;
Another year to praise Him
In glad triumphant song.
Whate’er the future holdeth
Of sorrow, toil, or pain
His precious Love endureth
Forevermore the same.
Another year with Jesus!
I thank Thee, Lord, today
For Thy unfailing presence
Along life’s rugged way.
Guide me, O blest Redeemer,
Teach me to do Thy will,
And Thine own perfect purpose
In me each day fulfill.
—Avis Christiansen
Originally published December 1995. Adapted and republished December 2015.
Read by Debra Lee.
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