Can you believe that we are about to enter the year 2010? Can you believe it's already been 10 years since the year 2000? It seems like that was just yesterday.
The turning of the calendar to a new year provides us with an opportunity to evaluate our lives. This week is certainly an opportunity to look forward to all that God is going to do in our lives through this next year. Who knows, maybe 2010 will be the year that some of us see Jesus face-to-face. Or, maybe this is the year that Jesus returns and we ALL see Him face-to-face. Oh, I hope so.
We certainly should be looking forward with eager anticipation that the Lord is going to work in our lives this next year. But, there is something else that the end of a year should produce in us.
When you come to the end of a year, there should be a deep sense of remorse and guilt. We are sinners and we have fallen short in thousands of ways this year. For just a moment, think about how much you have dishonored your God this past year. Think of all the times you have chosen your own reputation over obeying God’s Word. Think of all the things we have been commanded to do that we have not done this year. If you can, mentally picture your selfishness this year piled up like a mountain. If you could do that, how big would your pile of selfishness be?
Or, what if you had to add up all the time you wasted this year? How many days, weeks, months were squandered on trivial things?
What if just your sins of thought and attitude in 2009 were listed up here on a big screen for everyone to see? How long would your list be? I know it would take a year to scroll through all of the grumbling, complaining, impatience, pride, and fear in my heart from this past year.
This is a painful exercise, isn’t it? If we are honest with ourselves, 2009 has involved more sin than it has righteousness.
And, the change of the calendar from 2009 to 2010 does not atone for our sin. Our sin is not wiped away because we purchased a new calendar. And, resolving to do better next year will not make up for failing this year. Friends, even if you lived a perfect life from this day forward, you would still have that mountain of selfishness in your account.
Which is why, here at the end of 2009, we need to be reminded of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have failed to honor God as we should in 2009 and we will fail to honor God as we should in 2010. Thus, we need a Savior. We don’t need the perfect New Year’s Resolution to finally commend us to God. We need a Savior to bear our sins and give us His very own righteousness. More than ever, we need Jesus Christ.
At the beginning of 2009, I set a goal of reading 50 books in a year. So, I kept track of my reading. I'm glad to say that by the grace of God, I read 50 whole books this year. The last book I finished was the Bible (does that not count as 66 books?).
