The New Year is a time for reflection. We should be thankful to the Lord that we are still alive and that we have been spared to see another year on Mercy’s Ground.

Indeed each day is a cause for thankfulness. 

“Each day I rise I will Thee bless,
And praise Thy name time without end.”

Ps 145:2 Scottish metrical version.

“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22-23.

Each day is a new manifestation of God’s mercy. This is cause for new thankfulness each day.

Thankfulness and joy

Thankfulness leads to joy and there are many reasons to rejoice.

In a recent blogpost I wrote: “Let us rejoice that Christ’s sacrifice is complete and finished Heb 7:27, Heb 9:28 and Heb 10:12,14.” It is not repeated – but it is remembered. Jesus gave us the Lord’s Supper through which to remember Him and His sacrifice on behalf of His people. He said: “Do this in remembrance of Me” Lk 22:19 and 1Cor 11:24-25. Let us be thankful and rejoice in the Lord.

Joy and strength

God informs us in the Bible that “the joy of the Lord is your strength” Neh 8:10 and I hope that my readers know or will learn this in their own experience.

Joy and work

Christian joy extends throughout the whole of one’s life and gives strength in various circumstances. Here is recent testimony to the joy and excitement experienced by one of the world’s top scientists as he works for Jesus in his lab. ”It is so much fun. I feel that Jesus is blessing my work. It is exciting to walk with the Lord. I love it. I go to work to have fun.”

Christian usefulness and Christian joy

Useful Christian employment will bring joy to your spirit as well as being beneficial for yourself, your family, your community and possibly further afield. The Lord Jesus Christ has work laid out for each of His earthly saints to perform Eph 2:10 and so He is purifying them to this end Tit 2:14. There are those who do not like the conception of predestination, but it is in the Bible Eph 1:5-12 and Jesus has already prepared the work He plans His people to do.

The godly even eat their food with gladness 2Ch 30:21 and Act 2:46, giving thanks to God for every thing. ”In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” 1Thessalonians 5:18.

“Whether therefore you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

1Corinthians 10:31

Jesus takes notice of unthankfulness Lk 17:17.

Christian joy and self-worth

The apostle John rejoiced to know that his Christian brethren were living in brotherly love 3Jn 1:3-4.

King David, the godly Psalmist, experienced the joy of God’s protection from the slanders and plots of his enemies Ps 5:11. Young people with a poor sense of self-worth should seek God’s fellowship and learn their true worth from Him.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 27:1

If you want to know and experience this joy, Jesus shows us how. ”These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” John 15:11.

Joy in fellowship

I find great joy in reading and studying my Bible, having fellowship with God as I drink into my soul the words of eternal life. Jesus says: “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” Jn 6:63. They are living words. His Holy Spirit has recorded what we need to know in the Holy Bible.

As I sit down each day to exegete another portion of Scripture, I know that I will make one or more new discoveries. As I write this, I made a new discovery at family worship today, which will by God’s grace improve my behaviour for the future.

Endless joy

The wonders that God has in store to reveal to mankind will not be exhausted even in eternity, and we can prove this mathematically. Even the clouds are constantly changing, giving us a new view every day. Agnostic Richard Dawkins thinks he would be bored after two hundred years! I challenge him, and the teenagers who have copied his meme – “Which 200 years of known Earth history would so bore you that you would not want to live through the next 200 years?” The question has only to be asked and his folly is made manifest. What he is doing is blotting out of his darkened mind the thought of eternity because he is frightened of eternity. Well might he, if he ignores Jesus Christ’s solution to his fears. Denial of unwelcome truths is a well-known feature of human psychology.

However, there is no need for such fears as long as you will listen to Jesus Who says “Fear not” to those who will trust Him.

CMS Missionary Samuel Marsden conducted the first known Christian worship service in New Zealand, at Oihi Bay, on 25 December 1814, preaching from “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” Lk 2:10.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ has gone to the ends of the Earth in obedience to His Commission Mat 28:18-20 almost 2000 years ago. Who else has had such influence and such success in world history? Slowly, gradually but steadily the world is being won for Jesus Christ as “King of kings and Lord of lords” 1Tim 6:15, Rev 17:14 and Rev 19:16.

“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift – the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

2nd Corinthians 9:15 and Romans 6:23

A happy New Year to all my readers and God bless you.

“The blessing of the LORD, this makes rich, and He adds no sorrow to it.”

Proverbs 10:22.

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31 Dec 2023: for those interested in numbers, yesterday’s date by American terminology was 123123, because the Americans place the month 12 before the day of the month 31, followed by the year 2023, abbreviated to 23.