-Strength for Today- "Let the Year 2020 Be a Season of New Beginnings." - John 14:1-3,6
The story of the Bible moves from a world gone wrong to a world that has been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. And because of Him, we can pray to our heavenly Father, (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4), thus leaving all of our concerns with Him. Throughout the Old Testament, there’s a theme that’s sticks out, which is “In spite of.” This doesn’t mean just because God is:
· The Father of love, and is
· The Father of creation,
That everyone will go to heaven. For that to happen, a person must be born of God, (John 1:13), so “in spite of” where we were as lost sinners, now because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we’re now children of God. His Word said in Isaiah 45:3 “… I will give thee treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.” This verse implies that God’s people will face dark days. And as it was true for Israel, “in spite of her disobedience, that same applicable truth is for us today. Rightfully there’s going to be days when you’ll feel as if:
· Injustice and
· Pain,
Is overwhelming you. And in those moments, of wonderment questions flashes across your mind asking:
· Why? and
· How long?”
But listen the life that you now live in Christ, is one of faith, therefore, daily you’re going to be encountered with different kinds of temptations – James 1:3. What kind of faith does God’s Word provide in those tempting days, when:
· Shadows creep in, and
· Menacing uncertainties are
Cast on the forefront of our hearts? When this happens, it all boils to our prayer life, and the contentment we get from prayer. Because Holy Spirit driven prayer is the most potent arsenal known to mankind – Romans 8:26-27. Therefore, as we pray and meditate on God’s Word:
· The Holy Spirit’s divine omniscience, with
· Words humanly unspeakable
Take those prayers where the Ultimate Hero of God is “…who for the joy that was set before Him, having endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” –Hebrews 12:2.
He’s the all in all, the darling of heaven and earth. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian, said in his book, “The cost of Discipleship,” “Jesus is the center and the strength of the Bible, of the Church, and of theology, but also of humanity, of reason, of justice and of culture. Everything must return to Him; it is only under His protection that it can live.” So just as the seasons of our lives come and go, and without being planted by faith in Jesus Christ, you’re living a withering life, one without:
· Hope or
· Purpose.
If this is you, prayerfully, ask Jesus to come into your life and become your personal Savior, so that, the year 2020 will be the beginning of a new season for you.
Author: Plez Lovelady, Jr., PhD