January 1

Great is Your Faithfulness

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22.23 NRSV

One of the most encouraging things about a New Year is the word "new". It speaks to us of a time of fresh beginnings, a time when we can put behind us all our failures, all our broken resolves and start anew. In this New Year, let us remember that the Lord's love is all enduring. It will never disappear, no matter what we do or how we perform. His mercies toward us never end; they are new every morning. Let's start each day of this new year with that in mind. We need not wait until the next new year to begin again. We can begin again each day, because God in His infinite love and wisdom has given us a new beginning today. God loves us, in spite of the ways in which we have let Him down in the past, but we can start NEW today. Let us resolve this day to start anew to serve Him with all our heart, all our mind and all our soul! Let us give praise to Jehovah, the God of new beginnings, and thank Him for His steadfast love that never ceases, His mercies that never come to an end, and His great faithfulness. As each new day of this new year passes, may the realization of His great love and mercy toward us spur us on to serve Him with our whole hearts!

Father, thank You for this new day, this New Year. Thank You for new beginnings. Help us to learn from our past, but not to live there. Help us to start fresh each day, knowing that Your mercies are new every morning. Make this day a day that will bring You glory as I learn to live anew in Christ. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.