What did you give Jesus-New year Sharing

Now that Christmas is over and New year is here, I like to ask you a question. What did you give to Jesus? I am sure you spent days to find a perfect gift for each person on your list, but did you remember Jesus, the reason for the season? Well, the good news is, it is not too late. Today, you have a chance to give Jesus what He really wants from you as we go into the new year. 

Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.” 2 And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.” 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign [a]gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.5 And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. Genesis 35

For many of us, 2020 can not get here fast enough. The start of the new year always comes with hope and expectation of a better, brighter future. Moving from Genesis 34 to 35 is much like that. It is like you are going from a cold, snowy day to a hot sunny, perfect summer day. The good news of the Gospel is we don’t have to stay the way we are. No matter how badly we have behaved, we can repent and obey. Jacob has been lingering around in Shechem for a while. His disobedience cost him dearly, his daughter was raped, and his 2 sons deceived and murdered many in vengeance. But now God spoke to him and told him to move to Bethel. You may recall, as he was running from Esau, he slept in a place called Luz, He encountered Jesus there and was born again. And, now God is once again telling him to go back to BETHEL, which means house of God. Like Jacob, many of you been lingering around in disobedience; you know exactly the changes you need to make in your life. Your son and daughters are wayward, and in as we go into the new years, God is telling you to arise and go to where it all started. Jacob was transformed in Bethel, and God is telling Jacob, you need to go back and remember what you promised. Jacob was in distress when God appeared to him, that night for the first time, Jacob felt God’s presence, but now years have passed, and many things have cluttered up his faith. Along the way, compromises are made, and pagan gods are in the family. Perhaps, pagan gods have entered your household too. Jacob, for the first time, takes charge of his family. In the previous chapter, he was quiet, and almost a bystander as his sons committed the crimes. He tells his family to gather up all pagan gods, to purify and change garments. As fathers, many of us need to take command of our family. Rachel had bought her father’s idols with her, and Jacob was aware of pagan gods in his camp, yet up to now, he had not done anything about it. Fathers, are you ignoring things in your house?

In scripture, purifying and changing garments represents a new beginning. Like dirt, sin must be washed away. Look what Jacob does with all the gods and earring, he buries them under a tree. Do you know the cross is referred to as a tree? As we enter into the new year, I ask you, what do you need to bury at the cross? Like Jacob, give all the clutter and false gods, false theology, all that religion that has crept into your spiritual walk and bury them at the foot of the cross. It was a new day for Jacob, he was going back to Bethel and building an altar to God, and once again start his pilgrimage of faith and obedience. Our savior is asking us to give Him our strange gods, worldly things, our carnal desires, and bury them at the cross. And when you decide to trust Jesus, look at what happens. In verse 5, we read, smooth sailing for Jacob. His enemies did not touch him. Jacob was afraid that people of the land would attack him, but God kept His promise and protected Jacob. You can hang on to your false gods and leave a door open for Satan to attack you and your family, or like Jacob, you can bury them and trust God. 

As we enter into the new year, give Jesus all your burdens, He has promised to care for you. Jesus is faithful even when we are not. When tomorrow comes, you will still have the same job, same spouse, same house, same car, and if you continue living in disobedience, the year 2020 will not be any different from the previous years. However, if you call on Jesus, make Him the Lord and Savior of your life, Every day will be a new year for you. By no means, I am suggesting your life will be pain-free, or you will enjoy carefree days for the rest of life. Jacob buried his father and his favorite wife. His son committed an atrocious sin right after making this new commitment. But, what it does mean is knowing God is with us and walking in faith, trusting Him in all our difficulties and knowing nothing will separate us for His love. He will never leave us or forsake us. 

I pray, today, as you celebrate a new beginning, you recommit yourself to Jesus. He will bless you and protect you. I want to thank you for supporting my spiritual walk. I thank you for reading the blog and your positive feedback. Pray for me that I walk in obedience and continue to do all for the glory of Jesus, who is coming soon to bring us home. I wish you happiness, health, and peace of Jesus, which surpasses all understanding. Happy New year to you all. God Bless!