The lesson on January 2, 2011 was for New Year's 2011 and it was entitled "Pursuing the Joy". The scripture reading was in Philippians 3:13,14 KJV "13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." This was an excellent lesson for the New Year because the Apostle Paul tells us how to pursue the joy in Christ.
New Year's Message - Our Hope - The lesson on December 31, 2006 brings a message of hope for New Years 2007. The lesson starts with a nostalgic look at the year of 2006. If you are honest with yourself, you would admit to feelings of regret for something you did or didn’t do. By reminiscing, you find yourself with a focus on the past and not the present. The past cannot be changed. A football coach once said “Well, yesterday is history, and tomorrow is a mystery, but today is in the present and that is what we are going to deal with”.
The lesson on January 4, 2004 was a lesson on making good choices for your new years resolutions for 2004. The scripture reading was in Johsua 24:14, 15 KJV "14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
The Rules for Success. Most of us like to have success. We often make goals in the new year to achieve new levels of prosperity and success. Yet if we if spend our energy trying to find the secret of worldly success, we miss what God has prepared in His rules for success. Psalms 1 (KJV) begins with ”Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” God blesses those who follow His word.
Love and Hope. The lesson on 12-30-2001 reminds us of our blessings as we go into 2002. Primarily, the lesson reminds us of the Love and Hope that is in Christ Jesus. There are many situations in life where people give up and lose hope. However, in Christ, we have an abundance of love and hope that is always there for us. How? According to Philippians 1:8-11 (KJV) ”For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
