Article
Having a Truly Happy New Year
January 9, 2019
“Happy New Year!” This phrase is spoken enthusiastically in the last days of the year by many. I find it to be a mere cliché and somewhat superficial. I am in full support of an optimistic attitude toward the future, but as Christians, we must consider what it takes to make the new year truly happy.
Could it be that the “Happy New Year” greeting for many may be their way of saying “I can’t wait for this year to be over!” Perhaps the previous year was not as well spent on Spiritual endeavors as one might have hoped. After all, the new year appears more encouraging when the last one was marked with discouragement and failure. The truth is that changing the calendar page from December to January does nothing for our spirituality. The New Year can offer fresh opportunities to live for God, but change is not automatic; it takes effort and commitment on our part.
The Church’s traditional Watch Night Service began with a passion for a “Better New Year.” Britannica Encyclopedia offers this background: “The tradition of Watch Night may be traced to the early 18th century in Moravian churches when churchgoers began marking the occasion with a vigil to reflect upon the year past and to contemplate the one to come.” A Happy New Year is far more than a greeting; it is the opportunity to commit to reflection, repentance and reaching into the future in genuine faith!
As God’s children, let us not rush to put the past year behind us. There is a Biblical precedent for Christians to examine themselves on a regular basis, and the New Year is an ideal time to do so.
As God’s children, let us not rush to put the past year behind us. There is a Biblical precedent for Christians to examine themselves on a regular basis, and the New Year is an ideal time to do so.
2 Corinthians 13:5 "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your selves. Know ye not your selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?"
Psalm 139: 23-24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if [there be any] wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting."
Lamentations 3:40 "Let us search and try our ways and turn again to the LORD."
In Leviticus 23: 23-25, the Feast of Trumpets is one of four new year holidays designated in the Jewish calendar and the de facto Jewish New Year. It is both a joyful celebration and a time of solemn reflection. Initially, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, Rosh Hashanah has by rabbinical tradition become a “Day of Judgment.” The feast and the Ten Days of Awe that fall between it and Yom Kippur provide Jews with an opportunity to make amends for past wrongs in preparation for the new year.
God has given two gifts to help us examine ourselves; His Word and His Spirit. The Word reveals our failures but also instructs how to correct them. The Spirit opens our eyes to see the truth. In John 16:13 He is called the "Spirit of truth." The Word brings revelation, and the Spirit of God brings illumination! Self-examination, rightly pursued, will benefit us both now and in the future.
The great American Theologian and pastor Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) took his faith seriously. He wrote, “Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat Him, by His grace, to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to His will, for Christ’s sake.”
Here are a few out of the 70 he wrote and committed to keeping:
- Resolved, I will do whatsoever I can to the glory of God.
- Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.
- Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, consistently, and frequently.
- Resolved, never to count that a prayer, that I cannot hope that God will answer it.
- Resolved, I will do whatsoever I can to the glory of God.
- Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.
- Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, consistently, and frequently.
- Resolved, never to count that a prayer, that I cannot hope that God will answer it.
If we are committed to making the New Year better, we must start each day with similar resolutions. Only by forming good spiritual habits, one day at a time, can we make the new year a spiritual success. To ensure an indeed ‘Happy New Year,’ let us take heed to the counsel of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:15-18, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise; Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” Let’s be Spirit-filled for our future!
Share this Article
STAY UP TO DATE
GET WMA's Latest
Receive regular updates from the World Missions to Asia, and get a heads up on upcoming events.
Newsletter Subscriber
Related Articles
Related Articles
—THIS WAS A GREAT TESTIMONY—
Our Mission is to Grow Christianity in Every Nation With Speed and Excellence
Join us in Our Fall Giving campaign....Let's make a difference!