"From the Beginning"
God and His commands are from the beginning. With the advent of a new year, there is no need for new commands or instructions from the Creator. Instead, that which has been taught as truth by our God in the past remains the truth today. The apostle John discusses this a great deal throughout his New Testament letters and it helps us to, at the beginning of another year, reflect on the time-tested commandments of God which, if followed, enable us to be more pleasing to the Eternal One more each day and each year of our lives.
John begins his first letter with the following statement: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life -- the life... was manifested to us" (I John 1:1-2). John recognized the great privilege that he had experienced in personally knowing Jesus but through these powerful words is able to encourage each of us to recall the great blessings we share in serving the One who was truly present at the beginning.
The apostle continues to stress the significance of God's eternal presence by addressing the proverbial "little children" and stating the importance of knowing and obeying the eternal "Father" who is "from the beginning" (I John 2:13-14). Of all the great things about our heavenly Father is that He is truly from the beginning and is the One we can count on to be the same forever. We do not serve a God that will change but rather the God which has always been and will always be right, true, and just!
John also points out that with the eternal God come eternal commandments. John says, "I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning" (I John 2:7). This old, time-tested "message" to "love one another" in service to God isn't something new, but has always proved advantageous to all whose desire it is to serve the Creator (John 3:11). With a new year comes new opportunities. But one thing we should be aware of and thankful for is the fact that our God and His instructions have always been clearly communicated to us. What we have to do is dedicate ourselves to the task of obeying those commands and work daily to be more like Him.