Linda Buishas
“It’s a new dawn. It’s a new day. It’s a new life for me, and I’m feeling good.” These lyrics were thoughtfully expressed by Nina Simone to affirm a soul’s freedom and joy in the midst of troubled times. They bring to my mind the joy of life as all creation proclaims God’s glory and declares the wonders of what only He can do, in good times and in sad times, in private life and in our troubled world.
What better time than a new year to “feel good,” to have an excitement in anticipation of the blessings this year will most certainly bring for those who love the Lord. He has countless opportunities in store for us, those which are spiritually conceived and will affect eternity for all of us.
My heart is full of songs this morning. I feel the joy of the Lord and the Holy Spirit rejoicing and giving me inspiration through the lyrics going through my head.
One of my favorite “catchy” Christian songs is Matthew West’s “Do Something.” He says, “So I shook my fist at Heaven, said ‘God why don’t You do something?’ God said, ‘I did. I created you.’” He goes on to sing, “If not us, then who if not me and you? It’s time for us to do something. If not now, then when will we see the end to all this pain? It’s time for us to do something!” If we are God’s hands and feet, it’s not okay to think that someone else will do something. It’s a glorious thing to live by the Spirit, desire His fire, and to be His Light in others’ lives.
My final song for you is Toby Mac’s “Speak Life.” “We can turn a heart with the words we say … Look into the eyes of the brokenhearted; watch them come alive as soon as … you speak hope, you speak love, you speak life.”
To live for the Lord and bring His Light to others is an accomplished life. There is no greater message to give than to tell others about Jesus. But we aren’t to leave them there. We are to tell them how He eases all pain, loves them through struggles, heals all wounds, restores the things the devil has stolen, and how the victory is ours through Jesus Christ.
Jesus came to give us abundant life, right now, right where He tells us to be. He gives us resources with which to bless others. He gives us good health to follow His plan for our lives while He directs our paths into the Great Commission which He instructed all of us to fulfill.
As this new year begins, I pray that all will grow in excitement of what God can do, not only for us, but through us and our neighbors as well. That’s life. That’s the greatest “bucket list” or “New Year’s resolution” of all. For if not us, then who? If not now, then when?