Day 1"To preach the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:19).
Scripture Reading: Luke 4
To understand more of what this verse refers, I would encourage you to read verses 4:14-32 again. Last year is history, with a new year upon us, I am sure we will have blessings, as well as troubles and disappointments, but I want us to be thinking on what we need to be doing in this new year.
Jesus is just beginning his ministry and he has the opportunity to read a portion of the book of Isaiah. He reads Isaiah 61 verse one, but he quits his reading in the middle of the sentence in verse two. In Leviticus 25:8-17 Moses gives directives concerning the year of jubilee. The priest was to cause a trumpet to sound and was to proclaim liberty throughout the land. Jesus in Luke is proclaiming somewhat the same. He is claiming the scripture of Isa. 61:1 is being fulfilled by him; the Messiah is come. If you read in verse 29, they tried to kill Him because of His claim.
As we begin this new year, what is our mission? It continues to be the same as it has always been, to preach, teach, and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord has not changed our commission. To many times we get sidetracked by other activities, responsibilities, and desires and forget what our priority is. Our job is not to change the world, to protest, picket, or write letters, but too please God by doing his will. As a pastor there are many responsibilities I may have, but my priority is first making sure for my personal life, I stay in the Word and seek by prayer His will. In my ministry, my priority must be the study of God's Word, prayer, and the teaching and preaching of His word, anything else must be secondary.
As we enter the new year, I encourage you, not to make resolutions that you probably will not keep, but instead set priorities, beginning with your relationship with God, your ministry, your family, and then your job, and other desires. Every day brings us one day closer to the Lord's return. We need to make sure we are not doing good things, but leaving the best things God would have us do alone. Many things may be good to do, but is it really the best to do; is it what God wants us to have as a priority?
There is a hymn in our hymn books, written by Frances R. Havergal entitled "Another Year is Dawning" the third verse reads thus: Another year of service, Of witness for thy love; Another year of training For holier work above. Another year is dawning! Dear Father, let it be on earth, or else in heaven, Another year for Thee.