New Year Devotion

PRIORITIES FOR THE NEW YEAR (a New Year Devotion Study) 

Today is the first day of the New Year in the Western Calendar. Yet this day is celebrated almost all over the world although in some other countries they have their own New Year day. The Western Calendar is widely accepted as it is the most accurate calendar, following the sun and the seasons throughout the year. The Western Calendar is based on the Roman calendar, standardised by Julius Cesar. The Julian calendar consisted of 12 months. The months from January to June were named after Roman gods, while the months September to December were named after the Latin numbers seven (sept) to ten (dis). This anomaly was due to the addition of July and August, named after the two emperors Julius and Augustus Cesar. This calendar worked well but after 1500 years, the calendar was 10 days out from the seasons. In 1582 AD, Pope Gregory deducted 10 days and added an extra day for every four years. 

 The Church dated the Calendar from the year of the birth of Jesus Christ. Thus 1 AD (Anno Domini) means in the first year of our Lord. The years before Christ were dated as BC. Thus the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ stands in the middle of recorded history. However, the church liturgical calendar does not start with 1st of January, which does not have any religious importance. Instead the church begins the year with the first Sunday of the Advent, which is 4 weeks before Christmas. 

Some countries follow the lunar calendars which correspond well with the phases of the moon. Most religious festivals still follow the phases of the moon. However they would be out of phase with the seasons. The Islamic calendar still follows the lunar system while the Jewish and the Chinese have luni-solar calendars by adding an extra month every 3 years.

 Devotion Passage: Ephesians 5:15-17 - “Be careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” The scripture tells us that we should live wisely. Our life on earth is limited. Psalm 90:10 “The length of our days is seventy years, or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” A life span of 70 years totals 25,567 days. If you are 40 years old, you have about 11,000 days left and if you are 60 years old, you only have 3652 days left! When you are young, life seems to last forever but now that I am 68, I can begin the countdown on the number of days left! 

Our days on earth are influenced by the evil one. There are so many “thieves of time” which would rob us of our time to do well. There are so many distractions and temptations, taking us away from God. If has been calculated that even if we attend church every Sunday, we would only spend a total of 5 months out of 75 years of our life. While we can spend 12 years watching TV and movies! What about the hours we waste on other frivolous and sometimes even sinful activities! We are often being stressed in fulfilling many of our commitments in studies and work, especially if we are over ambitious and pursue a lifestyle of materialistic luxury. There is often the distraction of spending hours on our career, at the cost of spending time with God and our family. As a wise man said, “If you are depressed, you lived in the yesterday; if you are anxious, you live for the tomorrow; but if you are at peace, you are living for today. Even if you are living for today, make it EVERYDAY! 

Even living a life of usefulness requires time. It takes time to study hard, to perform efficiently in your work and to serve the unfortunate in the community. It takes time to be close to God, to study His Word and to fellowship with His family. 

 Another year has passed. A new year begins. May the next 365 days (and many that follow) bring a special perspective in our lives. May we know our priorities among the many activities that demand our time. May we find the first priority to be close to God and discover His purpose for us. May we remember to connect with our family members, whether near or far away. May we relate to our friends, new and old (I mean long time). May we show compassion to those who are less fortunate in our society. 

 As in Jeremiah 29:11, the Lord declares “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.