(Part one)
2021 will be a better year. Why is that so?
2020 played havoc in our lives so the only recourse is to steady ourselves and start moving forward again. We begin by being in readiness for what God has in store for us.
What is it that you are after - a successful career, a happy home, provisions for necessities, travel adventures, physical and mental well-being, healthy relationships, security, financial excess to splurge on luxuries, a dream car, or property?
All these are good. In fact, many will say that they are the zenith of what life has to offer. There is more to it though and the way to discover that is by allowing God to define your best life.
Against the grain
We begin by having total trust in the Lord. This means handing the reins of your life over to God. It is not throwing everything out to chance, but giving God full permission to have His way.
It is the most significant decision you'll ever make because it marks the first step into your best life.
Sounds exciting and a little terrifying especially when you're used to planning things out and moving at your own pace to get to a desired result. Fully trusting in the Lord means following His ways.
How we normally do things or how we've been trained to respond or adapt the ways of this broken world, however, is not His way.
Simply put, it is moving in the principles and ways of God as laid out in the Bible and seen in the life of Jesus. It is following the prompting of the Holy Spirit - God's spirit. Most often than not God's ways are totally the opposite of what the world does.
His manner of life
When the world says to get our revenge, God calls us to forgive and stand down because vengeance is His. We are commanded to love one another as we love ourselves and to think highly of the other and be humble. It is the exact opposite of self-promotion and looking after self-interests which the world applauds.
We are to honor God with our tithes or ten percent of our income - a small amount considering that God owns everything on the earth. A willing and generous heart does not go unnoticed.
The world has given gender about a hundred identities though God created only two: male and female. Same sex relationships and marriages are accepted in several countries; the Bible, on the contrary, clearly states marriage is between a man and a woman only. It is widely accepted to fornicate, or live together as husband and wife outside of marriage yet God says to flee from it and glorify God with our bodies.
When the world says, "Just do it," the Lord says to wait on Him. God blesses hard work and diligence; even so spending quiet times with Him is equally valuable, if not more valuable because He enjoys your presence and we find rest in Him.
Money makes the world go round, as the saying goes. Economies indeed move the world but God moves only in love.
Seasons of life
Whether you are at the beginning, middle, or in the twilight years of life, God's purpose remains. He wants you to know Him. That is inevitable because one day, our earthly life will end and we will either go home to Him or not.
At each stage in life, we have a choice to have a relationship with God by believing in Jesus Christ and following His ways. The life God gives is not free from hardships but filled with hope, grace, and love because "we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
When we live that life, God shapes and molds us into the best version of ourselves - being like Christ.
Next: His way is love
