This is the last day of 2015! As we look back and reflect on the year that is passed and look forward with anticipation to the New Year, we should resolve to serve our Lord and Savior even better in the future than we have in the past. Perhaps we don’t attend services as often as we should or maybe have failed to mention our Lord to others when the opportunity arises on every occasion. Perhaps we haven’t given of ourselves or our means to help others as often as we should or failed our Lord in other ways. We can only resolve to do better in the future than we have done in the past.

The bible teaches us that we reap what we sow in this life (Galatians 6:7-10). If we do good to others we will reap good rewards in due time, if not in this life than in the life to come. However, we should not do good just for the benefits we might receive from doing so.

We are to do good to others, not looking to receive any reward at all, but because we want to be like Jesus and our Father in heaven (Luke 6:32-36). Jesus went everywhere among the children of Israel doing good, not because He hoped to receive any reward, but because He was doing the will of His Father in heaven (John 6:38).

If we can learn to follow His example we will be doing what God would have us do because it is the right thing to do. This is a much more substantial and valid reason to do good, although just doing good will improve our lives, verses doing the wrong thing, which can only lead to helplessness and despair.

If we turn our lives around and away from sin and godlessness, to serve the living God, we will have a better quality of life in this life and the reward that follows this life. Remember, though, we are doing it because it is the right thing to do and not just for what we gain personally.

If others see Jesus working in us, they may be encouraged to turn their lives around as well and we all will have gained from it. Our lives and actions have far reaching consequences in society as a whole and not just on ourselves and our personal reward. So, think of others always in the coming year and turn to the Lord not just for yourself, but for the sake of others also.

So, let’s make 2016 a banner year for us. If you haven’t obeyed the gospel (see Plan of Salvation above and under categories), please do so. Then we can all go about this world and our lives doing good, as Jesus did, because we want to be like Him and because it is the right thing to do.

Less selfishness on all our parts will make the world a better place to live. As the scriptures tell us, all sin can be traced back to our own selfish desires (1 John 2:15-17). When we learn to control them and overcome them through Christ, we can learn to live for others as our Savior clearly did. Let’s make 2016 the year we truly start living for God in everything we do!

May God bless and keep you until next time.