As the year 2023 recedes behind us into history, and 2024 has now begun, we have entered a season of reflection. Old things have passed away, and new things are here. We have said goodbye to dear friends who have transitioned into their final reward, and we have said hello to tiny new lives who are just beginning to notice the world around them. It’s like a giant relay race, where one group of runners passes the baton to the next. We all want to run the race with endurance and make it to the end.
How do we accomplish this? Is it by pushing ourselves to run as hard and fast as we possibly can? Is it by putting our focus on our own needs and wants? After all, who else has our best interest at heart? And how can we possibly accomplish our goals if we aren’t relentlessly pursuing them? Who else is going to care enough to help make that happen?
Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions. Jesus said “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26) In the verses just prior to this, Jesus tries to reorient our thinking away from selfishness and toward selflessness. He wants us to think of others more than ourselves. And he promises us that His Father will take care of our every need.
As believers in Christ, and followers of His Gospel, we know that we are saved by grace through faith. But do we realize that Christ intended for us to also live by faith? So, every action we take, every thought we have, should be carried out from that perspective. If God says He loves us, we can be certain of that. If He says we are forgiven, we should act like it. If God says “by His stripes we are healed” then we should act like it. We go to a web page and check our bank balance, and then we go shopping with full assurance that our purchase will not be declined. Let’s apply that same principle to our walk with Christ. We go to the Bible and read a promise written there. Now let’s apply that promise to our personal situation with full assurance that our prayer will not be denied. Let’s trust Him.
Blessings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus,
Thomas