Utica Baptist Church, Utica, Mississippi

"Prepare your minds for action."
(1 Peter 1:13)

The late President John Kennedy liked to tell a story about his grandfather, Fitzgerald. As a small boy in Ireland, Fitzgerald would walk home from school with a group of boys. The others in the group would climb over the jagged, high cobblestone walls near the path home, since that route was shorter.

Some of the fences were 10-12 feet high, and were difficult to climb. The other, older boys all were able to do it, but Fitzgerald always had to go around. But one day, he took his cap off and threw it over the wall. Going home without his cap meant that he would be punished, so he knew that he would have to climb over to retrieve it. And he did.

Each of us occasionally needs to create a challenge for ourselves, which forces us to reach out farther than normal, to do something we would not normally do.

Isn't that what faith is about? What walls are crowding your life, perhaps blocking your way? They loom over you, intimidating you and draining your enthusiasm.  In the New Year ahead, think about those areas of your life with God that are blocked by a lack of commitment, laziness, or just simply because you don't really desire to be close to Him. You know those things are necessary for your growth as a believer, but so far you just haven't achieved the impetus to get things moving.

Perhaps it's time to throw your cap over a wall. Set a challenge for yourself that will cause you to stretch beyond where you have settled down in your Christian life. Reach out to someone. Volunteer. Make a difference. Pray. Give. Read your Bible. Attend Sunday School and Worship regularly. Maybe even come to an evening service from time to time. Whatever it is, give yourself to it. Commit your heart to Him, so that this time next year you can look back and be thankful for a year in which you drew closer to your Savior.

--Rocky Henriques, www.uticabc.com

I’ve often wondered how those big floats in the Tournament of Roses Parade are steered. You can’t see anyone at a steering wheel—how do they do it?  Actually, the person steering is in a little compartment deep inside the float, where no one can see him. He can’t see a thing—he has only a seat, a steering wheel and a set of headphones. Up front, in a similar compartment, sits a man with only a microphone, looking through a very small window. When the float needs to turn a little to the left, he tells the man behind him to turn to the left. If they are drifting too far to the right, he tells the other man to make whatever adjustments are necessary. And this is the guy who guides the other as they turn the corners.

How much like that we are, as we move into a New Year! We have no idea what’s ahead of us—we are moving blindly into the next twelve months. We are like the guy at the steering wheel, not being able to see what’s in front of us, but if we listen closely, we will be able to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit telling us to turn here, make an adjustment here, speed up or slow down. The guy steering the float has only one job: to listen and obey. That’s not much different from our own responsibility, as we follow the Holy Spirit.