“You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new” (Leviticus 26:10).
People gravitate toward something new. Simply fill in the blank after the word “new” and our ears perk up. Has your life really changed that much since the stroke of midnight on December 31 ushered in another January 1? Is your harvest a basket of eternal fruits that continue to keep you spiritually healthy, or is the silo barren? As I sit down to compose my goals for 2011 it occurs to me that growing in Christ means He’s always renewing me. With Jesus every day I spend with Him is New Years Day!
New beginnings are possible because of God’s forgiveness of our sins. When we believe in His Son’s death on the cross for a debt we could not pay ourselves we are made new creatures. No longer are we God’s enemies, but are adopted sons and daughters through our faith in Christ Jesus. Whenever we spend time reading the Scriptures and praying to the Lord we are renewing our relationship and our souls. What a comfort it is to know we can confess our sins with a sincere and contrite heart and that God forgives us! We’re always granted another chance, a new beginning because of His mercy.
God has promised many blessings for those who love His Son and obey His commands. Some people will twist the Scriptures to implicate this means all people who are financially blessed, or who lives seems to contain little strife, are walking “right” with the Lord. Their harvest may dwarf ours if we are comparing the size of their houses, their cars and/or their bank accounts to ours. But remember, material wealth or lack thereof is not an indicator of favor with God!
You may possess earthly wealth and be morally bankrupt because you have valued everything else in life but a relationship with Jesus. You may have a new wardrobe on the outside that is the envy of many, but inside you are clothed in filthy rags. God is not impressed with our vast accumulation of wisdom and riches of the world as we squander away our lives worshiping created things above our Creator. Our best efforts at resolving to make a new and better life for ourselves, and our world, fall short when God is not the center of the power behind our plans.
In this New Year let us seek to put the Lord of the harvest of our lives first. If we turn to Jesus He will give us a new heart, a new life, and He will water the seeds that produce a bountiful crop for His glory. What a God we love and serve! He makes all things new every day, not just on January 1. What harvest will you be enjoying (or regretting) twelve months from now? Will it be sweet or bitter? The choice is yours. “You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new” (Leviticus 26:10).
Your fellow sojourner,
Mary
