Getting Ready for the New Year

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “A season of celebration”

Our Bible verse for today: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Getting ready for the New Year”

2025 is almost over and soon we will begin a new year. I hope it was a good year for you and I hope 2026 will be even better, and that you are eager to move forward into it.

Yesterday at Oak Hill Baptist Church I preached a New Years sermon designed to reorient our thinking and get us ready to make the best use we can of the time God will grant to us in the upcoming year. We should be ready to eagerly embrace all the opportunities He will present to us. If you weren’t there for that sermon, I encourage you to watch it on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville but here’s a summary of it:

There were three main points: God has a plan for you in this coming year; He also has a call upon your life; and you must take personal responsibility for your life. If you live through 2026 then at this time next year you will be somewhere in life and your situation will be something. What that situation will be will depend largely on the decisions you make and the actions you take. It will depend on how you choose to use your time.

While it is true that God has a plan for you in 2026 that He will attempt to implement, you have a part to play too. Your job is to seek His will, discover His plan, and then cooperate with Him by doing your part. God seldom sits on His throne in heaven, waves a magic wand, and instantly and miraculously brings about great changes in our lives. Instead, the way such things almost always happen is with a combination of God’s power and our personal responsibility. God combines His power with our participation and together we move forward accomplishing wonderful things according to His will.

So yes, we can ask and expect great things from our great God, but then we must also roll up our sleeves and put some effort into doing our part to bring such things about. But that requires intentionality. It involves planning and effort. It means we must seek God’s will, develop plans and goals based upon the vision He gives us, and then walk it forward every day.

2026 holds great promise for us, but it will take great works of God’s mighty power along with prayer, vision, and effort on our parts. Let’s approach the New Year by getting our minds and hearts ready for it. We will spend the next few days doing exactly that.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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