January is named for the Roman God Janus who was the God of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, doorways, passages, and endings.
Notice that he has two faces: one facing forward and the other back.
The New Years is a time to reflect upon the past and to look forward to the future. Let’s see what scripture says to us.
Reflecting on the past
Isaiah 40:6-8, Life is like flowers we grow; we flourish, and we wither.
16:31, “A gray head is a crown of glory; It is found in the way of righteousness.” (NAS)
Instead of fighting the inevitable decline that takes place let us embrace it and discover the joys of advancing age.
James 4:13-17, Life is like a mist; it appears and quickly disappears.
Even those who live the longest among us, it is a very short time.
2:24-24, “A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat and drink and find enjoyment?”
God’s mercy is everlasting
3:22-24, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, / for his compassions never fail. / They are new every morning; / great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’ ”
As we look back over the past year let us rejoice in our joys and successes; let us learn from our failures and successes; and let us search for the way of escape from the temptations we yielded to.
Looking forward to the future.
New Year’s resolutions are the subject of a lot of humor, because we tend to set lofty goals and then promptly abandon them. However, it’s better to have a goal and miss it by a little than to have no goals and hit them every time!
Isaiah 32:8, “But the noble man makes noble plans, / and by noble deeds he stands.”
16:3, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, / and your plans will succeed.”
Grandma Miller taught us, “Live today like you’ll die tomorrow, but make plans to live for 100 years.
