BEGINNING THE NEW YEAR
By Harold J. Sala

Almost every year I am asked, "Have you made resolutions this year?" And my reply is generally the same. "No, I don't make New Year's resolutions."

Resolutions don't change me; only reformation --- the result of God's Holy Spirit working in my life --- can make any lasting difference. That's why I strive to live every day as though it could be the last day of my life. "God," I pray, as I begin my day, "walk with me today. I have no idea what lies ahead before me, but nothing takes you by surprise. Be my strength and my stay. Help me make the most of it and use it to Your glory."

This prayer is also a good prayer with which to start the New Year. The difficulty in planning or making promises about the direction we will take in the future is that we don't know what the future holds, what bends and turns and rough roads lie ahead of us. In the 70s my family and I lived in the Philippines. On more than one occasion we set out with picnic basket and a road map only to discover that the road which appeared to be a paved highway on the map --- was only a dusty, jungle trail which would have challenged a four--wheel--drive vehicle.

That's the way life is. Your road map is not always consistent with reality. The superhighway of plans turns into a jungle trail of frustration and roadblocks.

It is comforting to know that what happens in the New year will not take God by surprise. When tomorrow arrives with its uncertainties and frustrations, its pain and even sorrow, God will be standing there to give you comfort, guidance, and extend His grace and mercy to you.

There is one road map for life which I've found accurate. It's the Bible. When it describes bumpy, unpaved paths, you can be sure that's the way it is. And when it describes the narrow path which leads to life, you can be sure there is another way to get where you want to go.

Make the Bible your road map for the New Year. Make it your habit to consult it regularly, not just in the New Year, but on into the days and weeks beyond.