If the Lord says the same, we will complete the journey to another calendar year of life as we welcome 2024, on Monday!
As always, some will ring in the New Year with music, dancing, laughter, eating, drinking, and socializing with friends and associates. They may watch the countdown ball drop in the clutter of Times Square, or local equivalencies.
Some will enjoy private celebrations among family, with no less opportunity for acts of celebration commensurate with the arrival of a new year. Rather than celebrating with strangers though, they will be surrounded by familiars.
Certain individuals will be like me and my family, opting to worship in the New Year, going to church, where there will be uplifting music, praise dancing, testimony to the goodness of God and the preached Word!
There are those who will do next to nothing because they simply don’t choose to engage in either of the options or don’t enjoy easy access to either of the possibilities. They may find ways to celebrate just as vigorously in private or just sleep through it.
How you mark ceremoniously this passing of time—this significant transition—is not nearly as important as how you receive the blessing of the Lord gifting you with another year. It is not nearly enough to simply be grateful, without any aspirations of reflecting that gratitude.
Our lives must be a reflection of our thanks for the opportunity to be better in 2024…better to ourselves and to one another.
In appreciation to the power of God, we should all enter the New Year with expectation. It does not matter how many of your prayers were answered, or not, in the previous year. God’s timing is perfect. Never give up on your possibilities. And never stop exploring ways that you can bless others.
Allow me to humbly submit, in the name of Jesus, the following wish list for you in 2024:
HEALTH. I pray for your mental, physical and spiritual well-being. No matter what you’ve been through, no matter what you’re going through, there is nothing too hard for God. Faith is the prescription for healing.
PROSPERITY. Our God wills that we live life more abundantly. That doesn’t mean that wealth and material possessions should become an obsession. It simply means that a loving Father wishes the best for His child.
PEACE. Even though in the best of health, with everything money can buy, some may be unsettled inwardly if there are disturbances surrounding them. I pray that lasting resolution is brought to whatever troubles you, and your joy is real.
PROTECTION. In a world of uncertainty, with danger lurking around every corner, I pray that the blood of Jesus protects you and yours from dangers seen and unseen; that you walk in obedience as the Lord orders your steps.
SERVANTHOOD. Jesus says that whatever you do until the least of people, you did unto Him. Service is a prerequisite for salvation. Believers cannot ignore the pain, suffering and depravity of the less fortunate. No one can do everything. But everyone can do something.
As the song says, “I’ll pray for you… you pray for me. Then watch God change things!” HAPPY NEW YEAR!
My wishes for you and yours throughout 2024
If the Lord says the same, we will complete the journey to another calendar year of life as we welcome 2024, on Monday!
As always, some will ring in the New Year with music, dancing, laughter, eating, drinking, and socializing with friends and associates. They may watch the countdown ball drop in the clutter of Times Square, or local equivalencies.
Some will enjoy private celebrations among family, with no less opportunity for acts of celebration commensurate with the arrival of a new year. Rather than celebrating with strangers though, they will be surrounded by familiars.
Certain individuals will be like me and my family, opting to worship in the New Year, going to church, where there will be uplifting music, praise dancing, testimony to the goodness of God and the preached Word!
There are those who will do next to nothing because they simply don’t choose to engage in either of the options or don’t enjoy easy access to either of the possibilities. They may find ways to celebrate just as vigorously in private or just sleep through it.
How you mark ceremoniously this passing of time—this significant transition—is not nearly as important as how you receive the blessing of the Lord gifting you with another year. It is not nearly enough to simply be grateful, without any aspirations of reflecting that gratitude.
Our lives must be a reflection of our thanks for the opportunity to be better in 2024…better to ourselves and to one another.
In appreciation to the power of God, we should all enter the New Year with expectation. It does not matter how many of your prayers were answered, or not, in the previous year. God’s timing is perfect. Never give up on your possibilities. And never stop exploring ways that you can bless others.
Allow me to humbly submit, in the name of Jesus, the following wish list for you in 2024:
HEALTH. I pray for your mental, physical and spiritual well-being. No matter what you’ve been through, no matter what you’re going through, there is nothing too hard for God. Faith is the prescription for healing.
PROSPERITY. Our God wills that we live life more abundantly. That doesn’t mean that wealth and material possessions should become an obsession. It simply means that a loving Father wishes the best for His child.
PEACE. Even though in the best of health, with everything money can buy, some may be unsettled inwardly if there are disturbances surrounding them. I pray that lasting resolution is brought to whatever troubles you, and your joy is real.
PROTECTION. In a world of uncertainty, with danger lurking around every corner, I pray that the blood of Jesus protects you and yours from dangers seen and unseen; that you walk in obedience as the Lord orders your steps.
SERVANTHOOD. Jesus says that whatever you do until the least of people, you did unto Him. Service is a prerequisite for salvation. Believers cannot ignore the pain, suffering and depravity of the less fortunate. No one can do everything. But everyone can do something.
As the song says, “I’ll pray for you… you pray for me. Then watch God change things!” HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Vernon A. Williams
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