Welcome to 2008. It's just ahead. And welcome to "Tuesday Mornings," always a way to kick-start a new week, and in this case, a new year.

 

In the 21st Chapter of The Revelation, John received a vision of a "new heaven and a new earth." He saw "the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." (v. 2) And he heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God." (v. 3)

 

John's vision was about the future. But in verse 5, he offered an interesting insight about that future.

 

"Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' "

 

Was John speaking only of the distant future, when time stops and judgment begins? Possibly. But I like to think John was also speaking of the immediate future, before the ending of time as we know it. In the next verse, John quoted the promise-giver as saying, "I will give of the fountain of water of life freely to him who thirsts." Distant future, or immediate future? The voice continued, "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son." Distant future, or immediate future? I like to think that for the Revelator, time was being compressed. The future was now, not just later.

 

We stand on the threshold of a new calendar year—2008. We can't un-do or re-do much of what we did (or failed to do) in 2007. But we can start at the point of a new beginning. 2008 is like an unwritten document. It is time not-yet-spent. It is a check not-yet-written. It is clean and unspoiled. I like what Steven B. Cloud wrote (Pulpit Helps, Vol. 14, No. 2):

 

"As we look into (2008) we look at a block of time. We see 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,700 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,536,000 seconds. And all is a gift from God. We have done nothing to deserve it, earn it, or purchase it. Like the air we breathe, time comes to us as a part of life."

 

The new year is ours to spend. It will be, in part, what we make it to be. Our attitude will make a difference. And how we work out our attitude through our actions will certainly make a difference. The popular song of an earlier generation is untrue. The words of the song read, "The future's not ours to see." Rather, the future is ours to see. God chose to make it so. Let's make 2008 our very best year yet. To help you focus on 2008, this week's "Tuesday Morning" is entitled, "Eight Life Principles for '08." Continue reading below whenever you are ready, and then begin where you are to make this a memorable year. Your future begins now.

 

Tom Barnard

A Vision-sharing Encourager

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Eight Life Principles for ‘08

Tom Barnard

 

searched the Internet recently for some thoughts on “time management” and discovered that about half of the English-speaking world had already written on the subject. And everyone has their own ideas about the time management. I found little consensus on the subject. Perhaps that is because everyone who has written on the subject has something of their own to sell! So, I decided to start with a list of six principles and add two of my own. (And I don’t have anything to sell). Here is my list of eight.

 

BE THOUGHTFUL. 

 

This means more than “to think.” Everyone thinks. Being thoughtful means thinking about someone other than yourself. It means creating a balance in your thought processes. It means taking time to consider others.

 

BE THOROUGH.    

 

This principle implies that in every assignment—either given or created—there are guidelines to follow. It means that we should start at the beginning of a project and end at the ending, not the other way around. To complete what we start is a principle that works in any endeavor.

 

BE ORDERLY.      

 

How can we expect to excel in something through disorganization? Some people apparently believe they can. At least, that is the way they run their lives. Nothing organized. Nothing planned. I call this the “Whatever will be, will be” lifestyle. Doris Day made a mint on the song, but we cannot.

 

BE REALISTIC.    

 

Everyone is smart about something! This principle says, “Use your smarts to make sensible choices.” This is not rocket science. It is life science! We already know our limits (or we should know them). Live within them!

 

BE RELIABLE.  

 

People should be able to trust your word. If you say you will do something at a given time and place, follow through on it. Trust is the key word here.

 

BE KIND.                  

 

Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians, chapter 5. Being kind is rarely commanded in the Bible, but Paul left us a good one in Ephesians 4:32. Look it up! It should be on your “to-do” list for 2008.

 

BE ACCOUNTABLE.      

 

To plan is to promise to do something. Fulfilling our promises is a principle that works where we live and work. Spiritual accountability means that God expects us to answer to those in authority over us.

 

BE YOURSELF.          

 

It is foolish to try to be someone other than yourself. People recognize phony people by their phony behavior. Begin with yourself. Manage that. Then you can manage others.

 

The following prose was read at the funeral of Her Majesty the Queen Mother on April 2, 2002. Her husband, King George VI, began his Christmas address to the nation in 1939 with the reading as well. The piece by M. Louise Haskins is widely quoted in religious writings at the beginning of each year:

 

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied, “Go out into the darkness and put your hand in the hand of God. That shall be to you better than the light and safer than a known way.” So, I went forth and finding the hand of God trod gladly into the night. And he led me toward the hills and the breaking of day….