It’s that list and resolution making time of year--lists of things we want to do as the new year begins, lists of goals we want to accomplish, lists of special items that we found on sale and are going to stash away until next year (don’t forget where you put them!). There are also the resolutions to take advantage of the new year to do things differently. Just don’t ask me in February what happened to all of my goals and lists! 
      God has some important things for us to remember as we make plans for a new year. Remembering these truths will make the new year smoother and more satisfying for all of us. By giving Christ a prominent place in our new year, we will have satisfaction that goes beyond holidays of celebration like Christmas and Easter. 
      The first thing that God wants us to remember is that He is with us and for us all of the time. In fact, He gave His Son a name that would be a reminder of that fact—Emanuel—God is with us. 
      Names are important, aren’t they? Do you remember how you wrestled with what to name your first child? You knew that name would go with that precious baby forever, so you wanted just the right name. 
      My husband was a school principal when our sons were born, and every name I suggested brought the following response: “Oh, no, it can’t be that name! I’ve got a kid at school named that, and I surely don’t want our baby to grow up to be like that one!” 
      God wanted His Son’s name to be one that would show His love relationship with His people, so He chose a name that would remind us of His presence in our lives all of the time. 
      The coming of Jesus changed history because He changed forever the way people relate to God and the way God relates to people. 
      How does God relate to us? Well, He delights in us! He not only loves you, He really likes you! Zephaniah 3:17 says, For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all of your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. 
      God knew us as we were being knitted in our mother’s womb. He also knew what we would need the most in our lives—a Savior. In his mercy, God provided for that need by sending His Son to earth. 
      God, in His infinite wisdom, knew that sin would become a problem for us. We would try to hijack our lives, running them ourselves when He was supposed to be in charge. When our houses built on sand began to cave in, we would need a Savior, someone to rescue us from ourselves. God provided our Rescuer. 
      Another way that God relates to us is by having plans for us. We read about those plans in Jeremiah 29 where it says, For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. You will find me when you seek me, if you look for me in earnest. Yes, says the Lord, I will be found by you….
      He is a God of hope. Maybe you are in a time of winter in your life. There have been disappointments, illness, pain that has rendered you hopeless. These words from God tell us that He wants to give us hope. He wants to be present in every part of our lives. Remember as we approach a new year—Emanuel—God is with us. 
      There is another thing that God wants us to remember as we come into a sparkling new year. God wants us to take note of what we already have—of the gifts He has already given to us. 
      I have read that our enemy Satan wants to make us victims of familiarity. He wants to take what is most precious to us and make it seem common and ordinary. 
      In his deceitful, conniving way of thinking, he knows that he cannot steal our salvation, but his goal is to make us forget what it was like to be lost--the result being that we would have little concern for those who are still lost. 
      He wants us to grow so accustomed to prayer that we forget to pray or fail to give it the proper place in our lives. 
      He wants worship to become commonplace and studying the Bible optional in our lives. 
      Over time, Satan infiltrates our hearts with boredom and covers the cross with dust so that our hearts are safely out of the reach of change. 
      He may not steal your home, but he does want to paint it with a coat of drabness. 
      He tries to steal romance and make it routine. He wants to scatter dust over those wedding pictures and make them a distant memory of a couple you hardly recognize. 
      He can’t take your children, but he wants to make you too busy to recognize them. 
      His goal is to deaden our senses to the magic of every moment with our families. 
      Yes, in 2007, God wants us to remember what we have, and He wants us to make sure that those around us know that they are our priority and that we are grateful to God for their presence in our lives. 
      There is a third thing that God wants us to remember as we approach a new year. He wants us to remember to give the gift of ministry to someone else. 
      We have come through a season of celebrating the coming of Jesus Christ. John 1:4 tells us that in Him was Life and the life was the LIGHT of men. 
      Jesus’ coming brought light to a spiritually dark world. Have you ever wondered why Jesus was born at night? Why not at noontime? Maybe his night-time birth was to be a reminder that, if we are in Him, then our lives bring light to a dark, dying world because His light is in us. 
      The Word became flesh and dwelt in our neighborhood. These words from John 1:4 of The Message thrill me every time I read them! No matter how spiritually dark your neighborhood may appear to be, there is light because YOU are there, and He is in you. We are ambassadors continuing to show His light as we minister to others in their needs. 
      What is ministry? Is it one of the persons who serve on the staff of my local church? A definition that I heard recently says that ministry is “any activity which touches people and places for God and for which God is able to say, ‘It is good.’” At the end of the day, that’s what we all want—to touch someone else’s life--but what would it look like if I took that next step to make it a ministry?
      I think ministry starts where you are—living life and sharing common interest. 
      Jesus is a wonderful example of ministry. He shared his life with others every day. He took long walks; He took boat rides; He enjoyed being with His friends, dining, fishing, or sitting by a well. 
      What do you enjoy doing—scrapbooking, golfing, cooking, reading, eating out… Maybe you are asking, “What does that have to do with ministry?” Ministry is meeting people in comfortable, safe places and touching their lives for eternity. It’s intentionally building relationships in small interest groups so we can earn the right to share Christ with others. 
      Ask God to show you how you can use your interests in ministry. Ministry is not meant to be something left only to the professionals in our churches. Remember, ministry is any activity that touches people for God and for which God is able to say, “It is good.” 
      A few months ago, I was on a plane when one of the flight attendants came up to me and said, “You look just like Paula Deen!” Well, I know who Paula Deen is, and, believe me, my hair is the only thing about me that one might think resembles her. I have never tried to imitate Paula Deen, but that flight attendant saw something about me that reminded him of her. 
      Christianity in its purest form is nothing more than seeing Jesus. Christian service in its purest form is nothing more than imitating Him who we see. It is said that to “see His majesty and imitate Him—that is the sum of Christianity.” 
      One final truth that God wants us to remember in the new year is actually something that He wants us to do. He wants us to let go of those things we have asked Him to forgive. 
      Paul tells us in Galatians to ‘put on Christ.’ Putting on Christ allows us to have a fresh start. That’s the miracle of a new relationship with God. As a result of our putting on Christ, when God looks at us, He sees Christ. We are ‘wearing’ Him. We are hidden in Him. We are covered by Him. 
      I remember words from a song that we sing in church occasionally: “dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.” Faultless, white as snow, without blemish—that’s how God sees me, and you if you have ‘put on Christ.’ 
      So…as we move into a new year, God wants us to remember some important things: He named his Son Emmanuel as a reminder that He will be with us every minute of the new year. He does not want us to become victims of familiarity by forgetting the wonderful gifts that He has already given to us. He wants us to be involved in ministry, being conscious and aware of touching the lives of others for eternity. Lastly, He wants us to forget what He has already forgiven. 
      Dear God, Thank you for a new year filled with hope because it rests in Your hands. For peace of mind when I keep my eyes on You. For joy beyond all circumstances that I may encounter. For being with me in life’s trials, drawing me closer to Yourself. For teaching me to trust You more each day. I’m grateful for what I often take for granted. For a place to live, clothing, food, and all of the good things that You daily provide. Most of all, dear God, thank you for coming to this earth, to live, to love, to die, to live again. Thank you for becoming a man, closed in by a body that got tired and worn like mine, that suffered on the cross for me. Help me to focus on You and what you want me to remember as I begin a fresh new year. Amen. 
      Have a happy new year of remembering God’s love.