First Things First

The Lord delivered Israel out of Egypt and then He instructed the nation to rearrange their calendar around the Passover. From now on, Passover would mark the beginning of a new year. Each spring in the Hebrew month Nisan (No, not the car) a celebration began, a time of remembering, a time of focus, a time of recalibration, a new beginning, God’s new Kingdom-Culture-Calendar. He gave this calendar to Israel to begin each new year with the celebration of the Lord's goodness of defeating the gods of Egypt and delivering His children out of Pharaoh's grip and into their new freedom in Him. That is how they were to begin every New Year.

Well friends, I’m not calendar confused. It’s not passover on the Jewish calendar. But it is the New Year on our calendar. Here’s my question: What if we honoured the Lord’s template for Kingdom Culture and started off our New Year in celebration of the Lord’s goodness, faithfulness, and deliverance, even though our situation in life might be less than perfect?

So your circumstances may not be perfect. Maybe one of your children still hasn’t come to Jesus. Perhaps you have a vocation that became a “job,” or a neighbour who is a pain. You may have health issues, relationship problems, or quite simply, Christmas and all of its “glory” didn’t make real life go away. You have issues because we all do. A new day or a new year doesn’t make them go away. Jesus warned “In this world you will have trouble” and we are fulfilling that prophecy in our lives daily. But He also said to take heart that He had “overcome the world.” So, we’re not looking for an immunity to reality (are we?), but for the ability to overcome obstacles that are part of life here. A very powerful overcoming key is gratitude and celebrating God’s goodness.

The dear people of Israel had issues. The difference is that theirs are all written down for us to read, shake our heads, and say: "unbelievable!” They had issues. First of all, they were all messed up from so much idolatry that they didn’t know how to love God. He had set them free, but they still related to Him like slaves. They didn’t have homes. They had left their homes to live in tents en route to the promised land that was out there somewhere. They needed food, they needed protection, they needed direction, they needed clothing, they needed the Lord, and He met every need. Yes, He did.

The first and greatest need was revelation, and deliverance. He began to move when He heard their cry, but before they even recognized that it was Him. Then as they followed him, He gave them this command: start each New year by remembering what I have done for you. Make it a very big deal, because it is! Commemorate it by doing things that remind you of the journey out of bondage and for eight days, spend time together focusing on me.

Now, you might not have room to spend the entire seven days eating unleavened bread, and you might not have been in Egypt lately. But do you have a heavenly Father who is amazingly good. He is worth celebrating. In fact, He says, it is the best way to begin a New Year.

Here’s one key to overcoming in 2025: begin by focusing your heart on the goodness of God in your life and all He has done so far. There is more where that came from!