Philippians 3:13-14

Dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven. (NLT)

The coming of Spring welcomes the newness of life. New beginnings, new opportunities breathing hope into old ideas and ways. God looks at our lives and rejoices in His new creation. We are His vessels, designed for this season to spring forth a resurrected spirit, filled with the promises of grace, hope, and love.

As followers of Christ, we must dig into the soil of our souls and nurture the divine seed God planted. We are called to produce His good fruit by relying on Him for all things. The Son invites us to look upon His light and the expectation of Easter and the resurrection celebration. Let us take notice of how God is working in our lives and acknowledge that He is drawing us closer to Him and is calling us into His service.

We look back at the supposed good and bad events of our storied church history, knowing that God was with us and helped us through. His loving grace guiding the journey, even when we didn’t pay Him any attention. But we shouldn’t dwell on the past. Don’t allow the past to hinder what God is doing in our lives in the present. You can’t drive a car moving forward while staring in the rear view mirror, so no regrets and no second guessing.

Instead rejoice in knowing God brought you through all your past experiences for a reason. He has a plan for your life. Look to this new year as a time to make yourself available to what God wants to do with you. Focus on a New Goal. The goal of a life in abundant with Christ. A goal of living in accordance to Christ’s will for our life. This goal is a prize, it is the highest calling of life, to walk daily with Him. He is reaching out to us right now in the present moment…don’t miss it!

Pastor Will Collins