New Year's Eve sermon 12/31/10

New Year’s Eve Sermon
12/31/10
Text Psalm 63:1 & Psalm 71:5
Title: New Year’s Eve Resolution All Christians should make.

Do you ever get a tune or song in your mind and you can't get rid of it? It happened to me when my family went to Disney World in Florida. We stood in line for, if I remember right an hour and half to ride the “It’s a small world” ride. Unknown to me that song was sung nonstop throughout the ride. Those words stuck in my mind for years. It was like listening to a broken record. Just telling you about my experience brings back the tune.

Sometimes a verse from the Bible does that. Some phrase from my daily reading just lodges in my mind and for days, even weeks I find myself reflecting on it. The more you read and study the Bible, the more common this experience. Unlike “It is a small world”, a tune you want to get out of your head you don't want to get rid of God’s Word. In fact, unlike “It is a small world” you find it of great comfort and guidance. God, you see, has a way, as we study the Word, of putting those verses, those truths we most need right there into our hearts and minds, ready to be used when we need them.

Here is one of the verses. It is from Psalm 63:1, "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water."

What does that mean for me and you this coming New Year? It means that we are seek God’s will in our life and encourage others to do the same. What greater tragedy is there than to try to go through life without knowing God? We can make a lot of friends, have many companions in our days, but none so important or meaningful than God.

Our greatest need is God! Without a meaningful relationship with God, you can never be truly happy. As St. Augustine said, "Lord, you made us for yourself, and we can never know rest until we rest in thee." Count on this. You can have everything your heart has ever desired, but without God, you will always feel empty and unfulfilled.

To live a life not centered on God is like taking a CD or record that has a hole bored just off center. You try and play it and what happens? At the very least it sounds terrible. At the worst it will not even play. But play a CD or record with the hole perfectly centered and what do you have; beautiful music. That is the way it is with placing God in the center of your life; life is enjoyed to its fullest even those times when your life appears to be in the dumpster.

I confess that I have often made decisions without asking God's guidance. Sometimes I've started some new venture without even thinking about God! You know what I have discovered through the years? Most of these didn't work out so well. Some were real disasters.

You say, “God gave me a brain. I don’t have to ask God every time I make a decision.” I would agree with you except for the part of bringing God’s will into the decision. It is not that you stop and pray over every little detail of your life, but that you life is a life of prayer. After all we are Christians! We proclaim, "Jesus is Lord!" If he is Lord, then we should be constantly turning to him for direction and guidance in everything. We live to serve others thus honoring him.

This seeking of God’s will is not just for the major decisions, but every decision, no matter how large or small. Not one of them is unimportant to God, for God cares and wants to be involved in every part of our lives.

Do you remember when your children were little. As soon as they were old enough to get out of bed on their own I bet they came into your bedroom to snuggle with you before the day started. They needed to know that you were there for them; that you loved and cared for them.

As children of God what better thing to do first thing in the morning than to check in with God every morning by studying his Word and talking to him in prayer. Snuggling up to God is a great way to begin the day. As much as I like my morning coffee, the "best part of waking up" is not Folgers’s in my cup," but God in my heart, on my mind.

This gets the day off right, it focuses us on the right things, the most important priorities. Best of all it gives us a sense of God's presence throughout the day. When we know God is with us, we are then better able to face whatever the day may bring.

My prayer for you this New Year is that each day you would find yourself with a greater desire to seek God in the morning. Starting tomorrow seek the will of God in all you do, for there is nothing better for you or myself this New Year than a ever deepening sense of the presence of God in our lives. Lord, early will we seek You! Let us never tire of doing that!

Amen.