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JAN 2017 Sunkist NewsBites
A Word From The Editor
Happy New Year. That is our first greeting in the first day of 2017. It is a time of joy and thanksgiving because the Lord gives us an opportunity to step into the new year. Life is a gift from God. When we wake up from our sleep every morning, it is a new day. With the excitement and optimism that color the new year celebration, the question for us remains, "What are we going to do with life in the new year?"

Paul reminds us to run toward the prize that God has set for us. We look forward with hope, not backward with regret. There is always the temptation to end a year with regret for all the missed opportunities and failures. The past is the past. It is fixed. However, we can change our attitude about the past. Instead of regret, we should choose thanksgiving. Yes, there are missed opportunities and failures, but God uses failures and missed opportunities to teach us lessons about life. He continues to mold us through the ups and downs of life, obedience and disobedience, successes and failures. In the hand of God, nothing is wasted. 

That is how we should see the past and the future. We learn from past mistakes. We learn not to repeat them. At the same time, we realize how life can be unpredictable. Yet, we know that this life is not about us. It is about Christ. It is into Christ that God is shaping us. Looking back with regret is not an option for a Christian. Looking back with regret indicates a lack of understanding of how God leads us in life. 

Hebrews 12 exhorts us to look to Jesus Christ as the author and finisher of our faith. As we look to Jesus in faith, we are looking forward, not backward. The goal is clear: one day in the future, we will be like Christ, the perfect image of God. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, all of us are broken image of God. We fail to reflect who God is. Through Christ's death and resurrection, God recreated us. That broken image is slowly put together. It is not perfect, but it is not as broken as before. The restoration of God's image in us is a lifelong process. 

As we enter the new year, remember who you are in Christ: a new creation. The old is passing away, and the new is dawning. We can be optimistic about this new year not because we are presumptuous or have control over the future. Not at all. We are optimistic because God controls the future, and His plan for us is perfect. He is shaping us into the likeness of Christ. He renews our strength and spirit so that, although we fall, we will rise again. Let us stand in this new year with eyes fixed on Christ. He is our goal, and He is able to sustain us through this year. 

Happy New Year!

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GENERAL CHURCH NEWS
  • New Year's Combined Sunday Service
    Date: January 1st, 2017 at 10:30 AM





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