“giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,”
Ephesians 5:20 NKJV
Welcome to the 52nd and final Devotional Recap of the year 2023. What joy that is! We started this week with the celebration of Christmas and we moved on to reflection and gratitude for the year 2023.
On Monday, being Christmas, we were reminded of the reason for the season – Jesus Christ and the significance of our celebration. Christ was God’s expression of love to us (John 3:16) and through Him, we received salvation which is why we celebrate His birth.
Tuesday’s devotional was a lesson about reflecting on the goodness of God to us throughout the year irrespective of how the year turned out (1 Thessalonians 5:18). We were taught that gratitude should be the disposition of our heart as believers and in doing this, we acknowledge the greatness and sovereignty of God (Psalms 150:6).
We were admonished on Wednesday, to hold on to our faith and not lose hope. We were reminded of God’s immense love for us in Christ and the assurance it gives us in receiving whatever pending requests that we may have for the year (Romans 8:32).
We further strengthened our faith on Thursday, by learning about the need to “Believe for a miracle” (Luke 7:1-10). We were taught that miracles are replicable and we must open ourselves to the possibility of receiving ours. We were also taught that engaging God’s word is an important step to take when believing for a miracle.
We rounded off the week with a lesson on God’s timing and impeccability (2 Peter 3:8). Despite the delays of the year, God is still set to do so much with our lives in the coming year and we must strengthen our convictions about this.
The new year is in two days, we must set our hearts and dispositions towards the year positively and be fully prepared for all that God is set to do for us and in us.
PRAYER: Father, we thank you for the year 2023, we are grateful for all that you have done for us this year. We open our hearts to all the things that are possible by you in the new year, in Jesus’ name.
Bible Reading Plan: Malachi 3-4