Is there anything new under the sun?
Greetings and Happy New Year! I am changing the format a little for Zion’s Gate. I will not be writing it according to a progressive Bible reading schedule, but instead will be picking Scripture portions from different parts of the Bible. If anyone does need a Bible reading schedule, there is one on this site but for the most part, we each have our own schedules. It is not so much that we read through the Bible in one year, the important thing is that we read and study the Bible. Sometimes we are determined to read through the Bible in a year but then after about a few weeks, especially if we get one or two days behind, we become discouraged and then stop. It is better to read the portions of the Bible we are familiar with and then branch out to the parts we have not read in a long while. Yes, that includes Leviticus and 1 Chronicles 1-9. Zion’s Gates will also be delivered on a weekly basis on Friday. I am also going to add some Bible Commentary and we are going to go through the small book of Jude, verse by verse.
Today’s Context - Ecclesiastes 1:9-10
(Eccl 1:10 KJV) Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
As we enter a new year again, we like to think that each new year holds something better for us than the one that we just kissed good-bye. We look back over the year and see we had some victories and we see had failures. We try to look back and see what caused us to fail, and then try very hard not to make the same mistakes. Guess what? It isn’t going to happen like we want it to. When we look at the verse above we see that whatever we think is new to us has already been here before us in some shape or form. The only thing that changes is the methods we use to accomplish the same old goals. 100 years ago we did not have computers but people did by hand what we do with computers today. We are not really accomplishing anything different today than years ago, the only difference is the speed by which we do things. Many years ago letters went by Pony Express but now we have e-mail.
Even the sins that are committed in our day are not new. We had casinos years ago and we have them now. We had booze and tobacco years ago, and we have them now. The only thing that is different is the packages. The inside is the same with all its false hopes and dead ends. I remember when I was drinking, many times before I would go into oblivion, but there is a small window where you start feeling brave and think you know it all. Many times in that particular time, I had promised great things to myself and that I would become something different than I was now. Guess what, until God saved me, I was the same every day. There was nothing new from day to day, just a lot of false promises. That is what is going to happen today. People are going to promise themselves to stop drinking, smoking, to lose weight, to take better care of themselves, etc. Not so! With all the football games on today, the dieting goes out the window, the beer will flow, the potato chips will be devoured and tomorrow will be today’s promises forgotten. One thing we Christians can be thankful for and that is that none of the promises that God made to His children will ever be forgotten or set aside. (Isa 49:15 KJV) Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Is it alright to make New Year’s Resolutions? Of course it is, but make resolutions that you know you are going to keep. Don’t say you are going to lose 100 pounds this year, set a goal of 10. When that goal is reached then set 5 pound goals. Instead of having 1 victory, you will have 19 victories. Set graded resolutions that are obtainable and you will accomplish your resolutions. God is never averse to us cleaning up our acts. For example if you drink an inordinate amount of coffee or sugar based sodas, you can build an addiction to them. Ask the Lord to help you slowly reduce your intake so withdrawal will be easier and your dependence on them will be lessened without shocking your body, allowing your freedom from these things without serious consequence. The key to victory in setting goals, is know what you want to accomplish and set small goals toward that large objective and eventually you will reach it. Always remember as we embark on this new year, God will always be right there with us and as His children, He loves to become deeply involved in our lives. Call upon Him, He is known as the ”God who is There.” (Ezek 48:35 KJV) It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.