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A Time for
Evaluation |
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By Dr. Bill Lewis |
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Written
for the January 2006 |
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We have begun a new year. With each new year comes a time for us to stop and evaluate our progress or the lack of progress. In this country, we gather together our financial records so we can settle up with our government either by sending additional money or perhaps even by getting back part of what was sent in the prior year. Whatever the tax consequences, we begin the year by evaluating our financial progress during the previous year. Upon determining our lack of or limited financial progress, many of us try to remedy the problem by eating black eyed peas on the first day of the new year. We do this because of a tradition that ties our income to the number of black eyed peas consumed. In more recent years I have heard of a modified tradition that includes the consumption of greens. As I understand the reasoning behind this adaptation of the long held Southern tradition of black eyed peas, black eyed peas bring pennies, but greens bring dollars in the new year. I guess it is an inflation driven change to the tradition. At the beginning of a new year, it is also a common practice in our culture to evaluate our lives to determine if there might be something we would like to change about ourselves. We develop resolutions to improve ourselves. We resolve to make our lives better by making the identified needed changes. One of the more common resolutions is to lose weight which after making we immediately break by trying to eat all the peas and greens we can to ensure a financially sound year. The Bible does establish a New Year’s celebration. God speaking to Moses said, “And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work. For you it is a day of blowing the trumpets” (Numbers 29:1, NKJV). This Jewish celebration of the new year was known as the Feast of Trumpets and is today known as Rosh Hashanah (meaning “beginning of the year”). In addition to the blowing of trumpets, the Jewish celebration included the regular new moon offerings and “a burnt offering as a sweet aroma to the LORD” (Numbers 29:2, NKJV). The Jewish New Year was (is) a time to reflect on what God has done and will do for His people. The
beginning of 2006 has special meaning for Open Door Fellowship (ODF). It marks the end of our first year and the
beginning of our second year of service to God. It is time to evaluate the accomplishments
and failures of 2005. It is also a
time to praise God for His great blessings in the work in |
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