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A new year. A clean and blank calendar. Nothing is written in any of the boxes. And yet, God knows what each and every box will hold. He knows. Nothing is hidden to Him. Not a single event or circumstance will take Him by surprise like it will me. How amazing to think about the year ahead.

It seemed natural this morning to turn to the pages of the original clean slate. Creation-a most familiar story to us. God, the Master Creator, brings everything which our eyes can behold, our hands can touch, our ears hear, our mouths taste and our hearts can marvel into existence. Think of it. He had this vast void into which He brought everything that is from everything that is not. He had nothing to work with and yet brought it all to be ….

  • Day 1 – He separated the light from the darkness. And He saw, “It was good.” He called it good before He was finished creating.
  • Day 2 – He separated the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens.
  • Day 3 – He created land and seas on the earth. “And God saw that it was good.” He caused the land to sprout with vegetation, trees and plants. “And God saw that it was good.” Again, before He was finished creating.
  • Day 4 – He created the sun, moon and stars, bringing seasons, days and years into existence, perhaps the start of calendars 🙂 . “And God saw that it was good.” But not finished.
  • Day 5 – God called the birds and fish into being. “And God saw that it was good,” though still not finished.
  • Day 6 – God made all the animals of the earth. On this day, He also created man. On this day, He saw that it was all very good.
  • Day 7 – God rested.

God called each stage of creation “good” before He was done creating. He called it good while it was yet a work in progress. God knew that man would sin. He knew the atrocities and sadness that would occur throughout all time. Yet He called creation “good”. Now I am not sure about how it will hit you but this caused my heart to rejoice for I am far from perfect. I am not sure if I would even say that “I am good”. And yet God declares over our lives, “You are good.” With all of our flaws and imperfections and yes, sin, He still chooses to work in our lives each and every day.

There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears. (Philippians 1:6, The Message)

He intends for our lives to flourish – “to thrive; to prosper; to grow luxuriantly; to be at the height of excellence and influence.”

Read that sentence again, if you must, for this is what He desires for each of our lives in the year ahead – excellence and influence. He desires that our lives flourish this year.

Before this year has hardly begun, may we call it “good”. May we believe, in faith (my one word), it will be good for us. It may hold days of challenges, difficulties, perhaps sadness. But may we remember it is all intended so that we will live lives which grow luxuriantly. Lives that will be lived with excellence. Lives which will influence those around us to live with excellence as well.

God intends for our lives to flourish in 2014.

Today I am joining …. Lyli at Thought Provoking Thursday and Thankful Thurs. and Blog Lovin’ and Thrive at Home and Time Travel Thurs. and Thurs. Favorite Things and Legacy Leaver Thurs. and Imperfect Prose .