GAIN FRESH PERSPECTIVE

GAIN FRESH PERSPECTIVE

I Love New Years. New years are a chance to start new, start fresh, leave the old year behind and start over with new chances and new opportunities ahead. How many of you made new years resolutions? Who wants to share theirs? How long do new years resolutions usually last? Our lesson is designed to help us Gain a fresh perspective for this New Year and shows us how we can make a fresh start that lasts.

Look at the Sky Psalm 19:1-6
In verses 1-6 David speaks of the glory of God as seen in the sky night and day. What are some examples of God’s glory you have seen in nature?
Verse 1: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands. How do the things of nature glorify God?
In Genesis we see that God created the heavens and the earth and everything in it and said it was good. Then God created man and woman in His image. Because God made us in His image, nature testifies to us of His glory.

Look to the Scriptures Psalm 19:7-11
David only had the first five books of the Old Testament when he wrote of how precious the scriptures were. We have the entire bible. David compared The Word to gold and honey because they were the most precious of his time.
What are the most precious things you can think of? Compare them to The Word of God. Do they nurture you the way God’s Word does?
When David wrote his words about the scriptures they were not available to everyone, only a select few. How many of us have access to a bible today? Do we take the scriptures for granted? What can we do to appreciate God’s Word?

Look in Your Heart Psalm 19:12-14
How many of you have had an employee evaluation? What is the purpose of an evaluation? In these verses David is evaluating himself according to scripture. Based on his evaluation he realizes the need for confession. Notice he realizes that he not only has willful sin but also unintentional sin and faults that he does not recognize. He acknowledges that God can not only see his hidden faults and unintentional sins, but that God can help him be strong against them. Notice David did not assume that he could be strong against them. He acknowledged to himself and God that he needed God in him (Holy Spirit) to be strong against them and he asked God for that strength.
Vs. 14 – David confesses his desire that his words and the meditation of his heart would be acceptable to God. Why the thoughts of his heart, why not just his words?

I Love New Years. It’s a chance to start new and fresh. The best way to do that is to leave old baggage behind that is weighing us down. Confession and forgiveness rids us of the sin that keeps us from starting fresh. If you haven’t already, use the section on page 52 to list your sins, both willful and unintentional. Include attitudes toward others and accidental actions that have hurt others. Ask God’s forgiveness but don’t stop there. Ask forgiveness from those you sinned against or hurt. What happens when you ask forgiveness of those you sin against? How is God glorified through your actions?

New Years is the perfect time to commit yourself afresh to God. How will you commit yourself afresh to God this New Year?

Challenge: Create a list of your desires to grow in God. Communicate your desires with God and ask the Holy Spirit to give you the strength to honor God in your words and in the meditations of your heart.