A new year

The 31st of December is thought of by some as a day of celebration on which one stays out past midnight to party and count down to the New Year. Others think of it as a day to be thankful for another year God has granted us to be with our loved ones. But inevitably, there will be those New Year Resolutions that are (almost) never achieved at the end of the year.

This year, I think that we (meaning the contributors and readers of this blog) should make an effort to make God and Christianity a larger part of our lives. Instead of just being Sunday Christians (and Thursday or Friday Christians as well for those who attend mid-week services) let us try to be Christians every day of our lives.

How can we do that? Here are some suggestions that I will be endeavouring to implement in my own life for 2007.

1. Immerse yourself in the word - Read the Bible daily and study it. Better still, do it with a partner. My dad has been e-mailing me these Bible study questions every week and I think the questions are quite useful because it aids the studying process. If anyone would like these questions, do let me know.

2. Spend more time with church people - That means spending less time with people of the world. When I first came to Singapore, I noticed that I had very little time to do my own things or have "Me Time". A lot of the reason was because the congregation here at Lim Ah Pin has activities almost every week. And we attend all of them. In the beginning, I found it quite tiresome. But after some reflection, I realised that spending time with members of the Lord's church would be better than spending time with people outside the church.

3. Do more things for God - Look for ways to serve in church, no matter how small. Someone has to wash the cups from communion. Someone has to sweep the leaves that clog up the drain. Someone has to write articles for the church bulletin. There are always ways we can help if we just ask. And helping out gives you a sense of belonging.

4. Stop giving excuses - Nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, is more important than God. Lots of people don't realise this and so they give excuses such as: "I have to go for tuition" or "I have to study because my exam is near" or "I have some school activities". It is all right to give these excuses occasionally. But remember, there is no such thing as optional in Christianity. If you know something is good and you don't do it, that is wrong (James 4:17).

5. "Let no man despise thy youth" - I Timothy 4:12 may be over-referenced; but there is a reason why. Much as the world may hate to admit it, the youth are the driving force of the world because unlike the seasoned adults, we are daring and unconventional. Notice that the youth groups are almost always more active than the adult groups. So there is much we can do even if we haven't much of a say in the way congregations are run.

Have a good New Year. May the good Lord bless us all in 2007 and the years to come.