God's Man | What Will You Do With This Year

Here are the notes from the message I gave today at Living Hope Church.

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Welcome to 2010! A new year... A new decade...

How did you celebrate, recognize, honor 2010? Were you one of the revelers in Times Square? Did you watch the revelers on TV? Did you attend a watch night service or some other church activity? Regardless of how you spent that night, my question is what are you going to do now?

What Will You Do With This Year?

What Does A New Year Mean To You Anyway?
A New Opportunity...
A Second Chance...
A Fresh Start...
I have enjoyed watching my online friends as the end of the year came. Facebook, Twitter, and Blogs were discussing what 2009 meant and they looked with longing at 2010 as a new beginning. Some recounted what took place in 2009, one blogger friend went back over the last decade and determined that it really didn't go that great for her. However the new year presented a chance at a fresh start.

Today I want to share with you some thoughts that God gave to me as I was working through my own retrospective on the double 0's and To do that I had to take a hard look at me. God took me back to the beginning to illustrate the His creative process and I have learned that there is no better way than His. So let's take a look at Genesis Chapter 1.

The Initial Spark (Lighting the Path)... Genesis 1:1-5

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

We are moving into a time of fasting and prayer here at LHC. One of the things that I am asking God is to illuminate the landscape of my life. Show me the clear delineations. Let me know where I am and in what direction I need to travel. In this first part of Genesis God called the light into existence and He took a good long look as what He had created. As God lights up your life during this time don't shy away from what you see. If nothing else the Good will be the realization that you will never walk that path again.

So once you have seen it, Now What?

Laying the Foundation (Water, Sky, and Ground)... Genesis 6-10

And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

Here God laid the foundation for everything, Sky, Water, and Ground. This is where you should always start. Start organizing things. This is the only way that you will be able to make any headway. Don't get too wrapped up analyzing things you are just laying the groundwork.

Start looking at what is there and put it where it can be best utilized.

Plant The Seeds... Genesis 11-13

Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

As you begin to get organized you can start planting the seeds that God is giving you. You will know where those seeds will go and you will begin to anticipate what will grow based on what you have planted. Planting and waiting is where a lot of us fall short (Me!) I get caught up in the waiting. I think it is taking too long. I become the farmer that keeps digging up the seeds to check the growth and we know how effective that is.

God comes in and gives me a new focus.

Refocus... Genesis 1:14-19

And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

God provided the initial spark but for me I need to continually refocus myself back towards him. He gives me new things to do during the waiting times. When I give myself over, for a time, to outside service I am not as pulled to look over my seeds.

Time flows and before long God gives me new opportunities to create within the foundation that he has created.

Utilize the Resources That He has Given You - Genesis 1:20-24

And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. ²⁵ God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Notice that without the initial planting these new items would not be able to survive.

Create a Legacy Genesis 1:26-31

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Is what you have created sustainable? Is it repeatable? If you are not there does everything fall apart? Whether in business or in your family you need to build things that can be passed on.

The last thing that God did should not be discounted, even though in today's whirlwind society we do, You should Rest...

Take Time To Rest Genesis 2:1-3

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

No one falls short on this one more that me. I have been running at top speed for so long that it doesn't even feel right to slow down. I always feel like I should be doing something but God, who never tires, rested and this year so shall I. Mke sure that you do not equate rest with sleep though. They are not always the same. Sometimes you just need to do something that refreshes you. Read a book, go for a walk, play a video game, write... Whatever it is do it. It will do wonders for you.

So what will you do with this year? Now is the time for your initial spark. Let's pray and ask God to show us the way. If you do not know Him, than let me introduce you. God is the creator of everything. He desires to have a relationship with each and everyone of us, however mankind walked away from Him and embraced sin. On our own none of us are able to breach the gap so God came down to earth in the form of His Son Jesus. Jesus lived a sinless life and took the punishment for meant for me. He died on a cross and paid in full the debt that I had made. He did this so that I would be able to have true fellowship with God the Father. He also did this for you. All that you need to do to experience the joy that is everlasting is to Awknowledge, Accept, and Embrace. Awknolodge the sin in your life, Accept that gift of Salvation given by Jesus, and Embrace Him.