“What Can We Expect In 2007?”

The year 2006 is no more. Its time has past. And in its place, we have a brand new year- 2007. The dawn of a new year is always an exciting time. It’s a time when we can gain a sense of closure for the previous year- and all the mistakes, troubles, and heartaches that came with it. It’s also a time where we can look forward to the endless potential and limitless possibilities that a new year brings. And that’s precisely what I want to do- take a look at what we can expect in 2007.

You may be thinking, “There’s no way to know what to expect in the coming year!” I would beg to differ. In fact, it’s actually a pretty simple concept. Let’s take a look at some Scriptural principles that will help us to know what we can expect in 2007.

Galatians 6:7 teaches us one of the simplest principles found in the Bible. It says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” The concept here is very straightforward: what we can expect in the coming year will be a direct result of what we put into it. You see, the word “sow” in this verse means “to plant a seed”. When a farmer or a gardener plants a seed, there is no need to wonder what that seed is going to produce. Specific seeds produce specific fruits, vegetables, plants, etc. There’s no guesswork involved. In a sense, it’s as though you can see a little bit into the future and know what is going to grow. Well, the same principle applies here as well. You can know what to expect in the new year based on the seeds you sow that will be bearing fruit. According to Scripture, there is no guesswork involved here either. You just have to choose the right seeds to sow in order to experience God’s blessings.

So, what kind of seeds should we be sowing? I think that there are four different kinds that are appropriate and needed. Let’s take a look at them.

First of all, we should be sowing seeds of faith. Without faith, it is impossible for us to please the Lord, and pleasing Him should be the goal of every Christian. (Hebrews 11:6- “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”) Scripture also specifically tells us that anything not of faith is sin. (Romans 14:23- “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”) As you can see, God puts a high priority on having a strong faith in Him. In fact, as far as I can tell in my study of Scripture, faith is one of the central themes that run all throughout God’s Word.

Secondly, we should be sowing seeds of love- for God and for others. Jesus Himself said that the greatest of all commandments was to love Him with all that you are. (Matthew 22:37-38 – “37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment.”) Now, I have no doubt that pretty much everyone reading this loves Jesus. However, that’s not the question I want us to ask ourselves. Instead, we should ask ourselves this: “Is there room for me to love Jesus more than I already do?” The answer to this question is always “Yes”, so we always have something to work on in this regard. This commandment is followed closely by the second-greatest commandment: that of loving others. (Matthew 22:39- “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”) We were left on this earth to spread the Gospel of Jesus and His love throughout the entire world. If we don’t love others- and by that I mean letting God love them through us- we can’t fulfill the great commission.

Thirdly, we should be sowing seeds of service. This means we are to submit ourselves fully and completely to the Lord for whatever He wants us to do. After all that He has done for us, this is a reasonable thing for God to ask for. (Romans 12:1- “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”) We should serve Him gladly and willingly. (Psalm 100:2- “Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.”) Nobody gladly does anything that they are forced to do. What we do gladly is what we choose to do because we want to do it. This is how we should treat our service to the Lord. We should also be determined and dedicated servants- not quitters. (Galatians 6:9- “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”)

Finally, we should be sowing seeds of loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ. (II Timothy 1:8- “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;”) Christians ought not to be ashamed of being Christians. Instead, we should be loyal to the One who saved us by standing up for Him whenever, wherever, and however we can. This takes a commitment on our part.

God promises to bless those who love and serve Him faithfully. These are the seeds that we should be sowing if we want 2007 to be a year where God can bless us. As Christians, we need to be in a place where God can bless us. We need to be faithful to Him so that we can experience all the wonderful things He wants to do for us. What do you want out of the new year?

Thank you Chadley, what a glorious way to start the new year.

Amen Bro Chad....thanks for the devotional

Thanks Bro. Chad for heading us in the right Direction for 2007

Thanks, Chad..........I am looking forward to your devotionals this year.

I love my Internet Pastor!

Thanks for all the hard work you do for us, Father Chadley.

Its so great to have you here chad...awesome job

That was wonderful Chad. I'm so glad you are doing this. It's a blessing.