New Year for the Glory of God – Episode 194
As a Christian, do you live your life for the glory of God? Did you dedicate this new year for the glory of God? I believe this new year will be your best ever and my hope is not in the world but in God!
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First we will begin with a prayer and I will end this podcast in a new way this year, with a spiritual challenge – let’s begin. Dear Heavenly Father, I praise you and I thank you for the gift of life and I offer this New Year to you, my God. May I be ever faithful and may I learn to be in your precious Will, and I pray this in Jesus Name. Amen.
How can we live this new year as the best ever? By being in God’s will – the will of God is the one where we know without reservation that our will is joined to His, but often people ask how can we know God’s will for us. Will God’s will line up with what we want in our life or how we want our plans to go? Not always.
The Glory Of God Each Day
How do we live our lives? Many of us have no choice but to care for loved ones, our family and put others first. It may be a choice but a small part of us, maybe buried deep down wants the freedom to pursue other things. I remember wanting the time to write and realizing only after I was married and had my first son, that I loved the idea of writing books. Why did it take me so long to realize this? Perhaps because I never sat down and thought about what I really wanted to do and in life. There was not time to write and when I finally had the time, I had another baby just as I was launching a media company. God’s timing is not always our timings.
I didn’t stop but forged ahead because I felt that it was God’s will and He provided the help and the people to move forward. Yet it was not easy and there were many late nights when the baby slept and giving presentations when I was six months pregnant! Yet, I know that many of my books have been used by missionaries and the words of faith have touched people’s lives through my yes to an idea. But without the grace of God nothing could be accomplished!
The truth is the books I wrote, curriculum, had nothing to do with the books I wanted to write. I wanted to write fiction and had two book ideas. Yet, these were left unwritten in the pursuit of what could be considered a higher calling the education of children. The idea for communication to other Christians is what brought the idea of a world-wide podcast ministry. First to the homeschool world, the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network and then the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network, where this podcast resides. These ideas translated into thousands of hours of teachings for the world to access for free. Again, only possible by God’s grace and the yes from so many other people who have aired podcasts on this network.
Again, this endeavor did not come without a cost. When we say yes to God, it comes with a cost but the reward far outweighs the yes. Do we say yes in the hope of a selfish outcome? A reward perhaps in money or honor?
If we live our lives a way that is joyous but it is focused on selfishness pursuits, you can be sure the result will not be good. How should we live this New Year? Begin with an eye toward eternity.
The focus on this New Year for the Glory of God should be:
- Prayer for a greater faith.
- Prayer to seek the will of God first.
- Prayer to be open to God’s will.
- Prayer to listen to God’s leading.
- Prayer for the joy that surpasses all understanding.
So, in focusing on prayer we open ourselves to God in a way that allows Him to work in us. Through the grace of God we too can find that in living for others we will true happiness.
Often I have wondered how to do God’s will and I am reminded of the Lord’s prayer. Do you pray the Lord’s prayer daily? Some call it the “Our Father” … Jesus gave us these verses in Matthew 6:8-15 – but read the entire chapter of Matthew if you wonder what the Lord thinks about prayer and those who pray without really meaning it as worship. [More on the podcast.]
But deliver us from evil. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
There have been many very good articles and sermons preached on the Lord’s prayer – but as you read it what comes out to you? For me it is:
- Do not be like those who say words but do not mean them.
- Revere the Name of the Almighty. God’s Name is powerful.
- Pray for the return of the Kingdom of God – meaning the return of Christ!
- Pray that God’s will is done here on earth and lines up to God’s will in heaven.
- Pray that we are provide for –our daily needs.
- Pray that if we have harmed others they will forgive us.
- Pray that we forgive those who have harmed us.
- Pray that we are spared from evil.
- Pray for forgiveness.
- And the Key – if we can not follow this, we will not be forgiven by the Father!
Which brings me to the final point, and that is if we are living for the glory of God and not for our own glory we will realize that God knows best. If we truly believe that God is our Father how can we not believe that He wants what is best for us – which means that in living for the glory of God we are giving Him our free will and attempting in our humanity to unite to His Divine will – think about that for a minute! Wow. This makes me joyful and it also encourages me to pray that I am able to accomplish this by His grace.
So, the challenge friends for today and this new year for the glory of God…
The challenge is:
To examine your life and find the ways that you can live for His glory—what are the things you would change, and what are the ways you hope to live a life that is pleasing to the Almighty. Spend some time in prayer, give your life to the Lord and renew your Baptismal promise and I pray you have the peace, love and joy this year and it is the best year ever! Amen!
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