Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:13 NASB

I don’t know what it is, but for some reason as the clock strikes midnight on December 31st, most of us feel that there is hope.  We hope that this year will be better than last year.  We set New Year’s resolutions.  I wonder why we don’t make these same resolutions in June or July?  But for some reason the start of the New Year helps us to believe that this year will be different.  This will be the year that we stick with our diet and get healthy.  This will be the year that we give up that bad habit, whatever it may be.  This will be the year that we conquer that project that we have been putting off for so long.  This will be the year that we manage our finances better.

I am not picking on any of you, I am basically telling you that this is what I do.  I often wonder why I put such great expectations in the fact that because I start something on January 1st that I will see it through.  I am happy to say that my husband and I have been faithfully using our gym membership for months now, but we know that the gym will be flooded with unfamiliar faces that will stick around for a few weeks and then we won’t see them again until maybe next January.  I have spent years in Weight Watchers and can tell you that if I was going to attend meetings, I would wait til the first of March when those that are going to fall away have left and there is more than standing room only in the meetings.

This year my diet has become what I consider critical.  I really want to get back to my happy weight.  You know that weight where your clothes fit and may even be a little loose? That weight where even that pair of skinny jeans in the back of your closet fit comfortably.  So, I have had to ponder my diet and consider why I fail so miserably.  The crazy thing is that while I ponder this and God provides me with answers, they aren’t the ones I want to hear.  I want to hear that it is someone else’s fault.  I want to hear that a tiny little adjustment in my diet will help me to lose 20 pounds this month.  I want to hear that I can still eat anything I want and lose weight.  And you all know that I am dying to hear that they have come up with the chocolate malt, M&M’s and Cheetos diet.  Oh and brownies, don’t forget brownies.  Anyway I have no great hope that this is going to happen in my lifetime.

Our scripture passage today speaks of hope.  But here Paul is speaking about the kind of hope that we have in the Lord.  The hope that we have in the Lord is not that kind of hope where you wish when you blow out candles on your cake.  It is that kind of hope where you say a prayer that lines up with God’s will and have full confidence that God will bring good things your way.

Now maybe you are down and out and thinking why would God bring anything good your way?  Well, because the bible tells us so.  Jeremiah 29:11 says I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Romans 8:28 promises us that all things work for good for those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. Isaiah 40:31 promises that for those of us that wait for the Lord that we will rise up with wings like eagles, run and not be weary, walk and not faint.

So as we look back at this past year, look at your relationship with your Lord and Savior.  How has that been?  Have you done your best to be your best for God?  Have you walked in His ways?  Have you lived your life according to his instruction manual or the bible as most of us call it?  Have you spent time with him in worship and praise?  Are you living your life according to his purpose?  This means are you in close enough relationship with Him to know what it is He wants you to do and if so, are you doing it?  There are some awesome promises in the bible, but in order for us to receive these promises, we must live according to the rules.  God is like any good parent.  He rewards good behavior and punishes bad behavior.

But we know that even Job went through hard times.  This is where Romans 8:28 comes into play.  You see God promises that all things, even bad things, will work for our good when we are living and working for Him.  Job may have lost everything but he was completely restored and was given double what he had before.

God is a good father.  He is a good provider.  He wants what is best for us.  So, know as we go into the New Year that He’s got your back.  Even when the going gets tough, He is there.  He will pull you through.  You just have to put all of your hope in Him.  So whether you are starting a new diet or new exercise plan or attempting to stop a habit, know that with His help you can succeed. So, maybe our first resolution should be a closer walk with Jesus.  Matthew 6:33 tells us that if we put Him first, He will take care everything else.  So, this year, why not try putting God first and trusting Him to help you keep those other resolutions?

Have a great day!