Lord, bring us back to yourself, so we may return; renew our days as in former times. Lamentations 5:21 CSB

He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Psalms 23:3 CSB

Happy New Year! I can’t believe it, but it’s another new year. The older I get the faster the years seem to pass. It’s a time to look back at last year and evaluate how we did. I don’t know about you, but I always feel like I’m a bit lacking. I didn’t meet all my goals or wasn’t generous or kind enough. I think that’s why we always begin each New Year with resolutions.

We need to lose weight (especially after Thanksgiving and Christmas!), or exercise more, or quit a bad habit, or try to begin a new and better habit. Self-improvement seems to be a theme. We want a re-set. But this year I want to encourage all of us to have, not just a new year, but a “re-new year” with our Lord.

 In Psalms, David reminds us that it is the Lord who renews our life and leads us along right paths so that all glory belongs to Him. Let’s renew our days, looking to the Lord, renewing our minds and lives, accepting His love and strength and guidance. Let’s go into this new year with a prayer to allow the Lord to renew us, renew our faith, and renew our relationship with Him.

Do you remember when you first put your trust and faith in the Lord? When you accepted His gifts of grace and salvation? I was fourteen, attending a small church, when I walked to the front to profess in front of everyone that I was a believer, that I accepted the Lord’s call on my life, that I was now His. There was joy, the anticipation of a wonderful life, the welcome acceptance into the church, the rebirth of baptism, and again the joy. I couldn’t stop smiling.

This year let us all come back to the Lord and renew our days with the reminder of former times. Let us look to Him alone and renew our commitment and purpose, our love and our service, our lives as we live to share and shine Him in this world.

I thank God for each of you! And I thank you for joining me today as we celebrate a re-new year in the Lord, to Him be all the glory!

Blessings and joy in the re-new year!