You know, there is something about New Year's Day that is a little bit like judgment day. It is a time when we look back and ask ourselves if we feel good about what we did with the year just past. Fortunately, for most of us, New Year's Day is a judgment day with the promise of another year -- another possibility -- a chance to do better attached. When old age or serious illness makes us wonder how many chances we have left, we may take the opportunity very seriously. We all should take it seriously. None of us know how many chances we have left to make the most of life. Assuming we all have at least one more chance, let's seek some biblical guidance to see how we can make the most of it.

There is a theme in the New Testament that comes close to reflecting the same kind of situation. Man…