Happy New Year | Gina Elmes | 7th January 2024

Family Church Portsmouth

Ps Gina explores what we mean by saying "Happy New Year". What is 'happy'? Is it biblical to be 'happy'? She refers to Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV) " Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither, whatever they do prospers."

Those three verses are the result from our choice to follow God's direction in life. The second half of the psalm speaks about the ungodly who are like the chaff that the wind drives away. The end of the second three verses - the ungodly path - is sad and hopeless and ends in nothingness.

God's way in this scriptures leads to happiness, but the other path is the wrong way - which will lead to misery.

Ps Gina goes on to speak about how there are likely to areas of our lives we have not yet committed to the Lord and how these will be like dead branches in the tree of our lives. True happiness will come from ourselves submitting our all to our Saviour.