I have always enjoyed the new year, I like the feeling of the newness of that which is ahead – it is good to put the old year behind us and start afresh with the Lord. I have never been a person who makes new year resolutions nor I have I been a person who sets goals for the coming year. I have always been excited about what the Lord is saying now to me and this year is no exception. I have decided to go with a greater desire to press into the Lord and hear what he is saying to me now. I believe that the Lord wants to remind us of how important we are to Him – there is a verse often quoted at funeral services – Psalm 116:15 which says: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” and as I have thought about this I realised that if the death of His child is precious, how much more we are precious to Him while we are alive. As I have been spending time with the Lord for fresh understanding I have been drawn to John 15:16 which says: “You did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain”. And John 6:44 “No one comes to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; I will raise him up in the last days”. As I considered the significance of these verses I was drawn to Hebrews 2:3a which says: “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation”. I get a mental picture of a person caught in quick-sand and the person refuses the offer of someone with a rope to help them – they perished because they wanted to do it their way. The next truth that has astounded me is that the Lord knew me before I was conceived – at first, it was so hard to accept but God does not lie, the Bible clearly states this truth, in Galatians 1:15 it says: “But it pleases God who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace”. Jeremiah 1:5 says: “ Before I formed you in the womb I knew you before you were born I sanctified you, and ordained you to be a prophet to the nations”. This truth is further stated in Isaiah 44: 7&24, Isaiah 49:1&5, Psalm 22:9-10 and in Psalm139:13-14 and it requires some time for the truth of God’s word to be fully understood and accepted. From these verses, it is very clear that everyone is important to the Lord and while in the natural that is not how we see ourselves – that is not how God sees us. This is explained in Ephesians 4:15-16 “But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things unto Him who is the head – Christ – from whom the whole body joined and knitted together by what every joint supplied, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love”. As we consider the freshness of 2021 may we be captivated by the fact that we have been chosen by God and as we choose to draw close to Him allow Him to flow through us and impact the people around us.