NEW YEAR, new days, new beginnings
New Year’s Day in Japan is called Ganjitsu or Gantan. Each year, many Japanese travel to shrines and temples to pray for blessings for the year ahead to an “unknown god” (Acts 17: 28). Even Japanese Christians with unbelieving families can fall into group pressures of praying before shrines and miss a wonderful opportunity to share the good news of Jesus.
But the God of the Bible does not live in temples made by human hands (Acts 7: 48). The first line in the Bible says, “In the beginning God” (Gen. 1:1). Before anything was created God was there! He is before and above all things and most worthy of worship!
Later, John 1:1 simply says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus is the Word that became flesh to live with us and in us by His Spirit.
Jesus came not seeking anything from us but to give us the life we could never have apart from Him. When Jesus came, He came not to modify our old lives or make slight improvements. He came not to make bad people into good people, but to make people entirely new inside out. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5: 17).
Even in our sufferings, hardships and trials, we can trust that He is faithful and makes all things beautiful in its time! One day Jesus will return and make all things new (Rev. 21: 5).
As you prayerfully anticipate 2024,
1. What has Jesus changed in your heart this past year? What areas of your heart need a fresh touch from Him?
2. Starting this January, how might your daily life reflect the God of all new beginnings?
3. How does being made new in Jesus change how you use your time, talent, gifts, skills, ability and treasures?
We recommend starting a new Bible reading plan or daily
meditations from scripture below.
a) Start with New Testament with 5 Minutes a day in 5 Days a Week | PDF Here. Or Daily ESV Reading Plans | PDF Here. Or access 10 other plans here. TGC Daily Devotional Reading Plan | PDF Here. These are all free plans.
b) Daily Light on The Daily Path | A Devotional Classic by Samuel Bagster | Free of charge. Sign up to read here with the App. This is a personal favourite for the soul. It takes you to different Bible themes each morning and evening, with parallels, good for memorization, short reflection or praying the scriptures even in the midst of busy schedules.
c) Finally, 100 % of our lives and belongings come from God’s hand. If you want to give back to God 10 % monthly to advance His glorious Gospel in Tokyo, you can now give via credit cards in Japan, or bank transfer (furikomi) or via our office in the U.S. Read Gospel-motivated giving here.