Dec 30, 2013
And surely I am with you always, to the
very end of the age. Matthew 28:20
None of us knows what the New Year holds. Will my Daddy move to our Father’s House? Will my husband get stronger…or more feeble? Will the stock market crash or keep soaring? Will the Middle East erupt in a war that drags the rest of the world into it? All of the uncertainty can give us pause, and cause us to step gingerly into the New Year. Except for one fact. One certainty. One shining, undisputable truth. God is there!
Blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
You, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel. § That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.
Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless. § Be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.
1 Cor. 1:8; Col. 1:21–23; Phil. 2:15;
2 Peter 3:14; Phil. 1:10; Jude vv. 24–25
He will guard the feet of His saints.
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. § He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean.
I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble … Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on … Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil.
The Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!
1 Sam. 2:9; 1 John 1:6–7; John 13:10;
Prov. 4:11–12, 14–15, 25–27; 2 Tim. 4:18
Jesus is the most important Man, not just in our nation, not just on planet earth, but in the entire universe! And He isn’t important just for four years or eight years, but forever and ever and ever! Furthermore, the most important Man in the universe thinks I am so important, He gave His own life for me! How can I feel depressed by the smallness of my life when the most important Man in the universe died for me, rules over me now, and will one day return for me? In the eyes of the Lord Jesus Christ, I am important. I am of value. How can I consider myself anything less?
Do you feel depressed by the smallness of your life? There is an antidote for feelings of smallness. Just think on Jesus!
Understand what the will of the Lord is.
This is the will of God, your sanctification. § Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you. § This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. § We know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
We … do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. § The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, … give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.
Eph. 5:17; 1 Thess. 4:3; Job 22:21;
John 17:3; 1 John 5:20; Col. 1:9; Eph. 1:17–19
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Enoch walked with God. § Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? § It is good for me to draw near to God.
The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you … When in their trouble [Israel] turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way … and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.
James 4:8; Gen. 5:24; Amos 3:3; Ps. 73:28;
2 Chron. 15:2, 4; Jer. 29:11–13; Heb. 10:19–22
Did you think Jesus only cares about things like heaven and hell? About forgiveness and sin? About holiness and wickedness? About truth and lies? About salvation and judgment? Jesus does care about those things. But He also cares about your job, about whether your child makes the sports team, about your children’s college tuition, about your budget now that you are unexpectedly pregnant, about the roof that leaks, about the cranky transmission in the car, and about all the other physical problems and needs we face.
Jesus cares even if the physical problem we face is largely of our own making. He cares if we are having car trouble, even if it was caused by our not having taken the time to change the oil regularly. He cares if we are having financial struggles, even if they were caused by our having run up massive debts on our charge accounts for things we wanted but did not necessarily need. Jesus cares about your physical needs today.
