Blog


What’s in Your Future?


Happy New Year – Hope, Peace, Joy and Love to You in Christ!

If you want to know the hope, peace, joy and love of Christ today, into the New Year and throughout your life, begin by asking and answering this question, “What’s your focus?”  In 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Paul states by The Holy Spirit, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”  Is your focus Temporal of Eternal? 

As we wrap up CHRISTmas and 2022, the craziest of years in our lifetime (at least for most of us), what are you looking forward to…or what are you fearing as you look to the New Year? If your focus is on the things of this world (temporal) you will likely be caught up in more worry, anxiety and uncertainty that will drag you down.

However if your thoughts, no matter the circumstances, run toward God, His Word and Kingdom (Eternal) then you can be assured that He will provide, prune, prepare and protect you for His Kingdom (Eternal) fruit and purpose!

Oswald Chambers says, “We think that we must reach some predetermined goal (temporal), but that is not the nature of the spiritual life. The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty (eternal). (Parentheses mine and added)

He goes on to say that the eternal life, the life hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3), is a gracious uncertainty!  Uncertain because of the temporal nature of this life but gracious and even glorious as you walk with Christ into what He has prepared for you to live out for His Glory (Eternal) even as you do so in this life (temporal).  Which are you focused on?

Are you focusing on this world…or are you living in this world with a gracious uncertainty by faith, focused on His Word, His Will and His Kingdom? You can have the Hope, Peace, Joy and Love that Christ brought to us at CHRISTmas this day and year, into 2023, and beyond into Eternity as you live with your focus on the Eternal today!

Remember there is only One HOPE that will endure beyond 2022, beyond 2023…forever (Romans 15:13)!  That HOPE is found in Christ alone!

That Hope is found in His Unfailing Mercies and Amazing Grace…

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’” Lamentations 3:22–24

In the Jewish culture that the Bible was written in (which we should pay close attention to in order to truly understand context and meanings even for today) the end of one year and preparation for the next was focused strongly on repentance. We would do well to spend time reflecting not only on the blessings and trials of the past year and looking forward to better things in The Lord for the coming year…we should take the time to look introspectively to where we are personally in our walk with Him.

As we humbly repent we can be assured that His mercies are new every single day…we do not receive what we deserve because Christ came, lived and died to receive the punishment that should have been ours. Praise and thanks to The Lord for His unfailing mercies toward us!

Christ promises Hope (Romans 15:13) found only in Him; Peace unlike the world gives and one that I can’t fully understand so must accept by faith (John 14:27; 16:33; Philippians 4:6-7); a Joy in any and every circumstance that is complete in Him and allows, and even compels, me to find it (Joy that is) in the most difficult of trials and circumstances…including 2022 (1 John 1:4; James 1:2-4) and finally; Love that is based on covenant and commitment and not on fleeting feelings and emotions…His Love is forever Faithful (John 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 13:8a; 1 John 4:7-21)!  It’s not the Love of the world and you and I can count on it always. 

Notice the contrast of His hope, peace, joy and love (Eternal) to that of the world’s fleeting and circumstance and emotionally-based desires rooted in the selfish flesh (temporal).  Which are you focusing on as you wrap up 2022 and look forward to the New Year?

Faith is the key to living in His Love & Lordship that will bring and mature these incredible traits and assurances into your life regardless of what you, or we, have face, are facing or will face in the future!

An upside down world will not win! Election fraud and mainstream media cover-ups will not win! Diseases will not win! Social anarchy and chaos will not win!

Christ has already won and promises that victory to all who believe in Him as Savior and Lord (Romans 8:26-39)!  

Make it a great Advent/CHRISTmas season with family and loved ones in Christ!

Love and Lordship…Food for Thought – His mercies are new every morning and are never ending (Lamentations 3:22-24) and His grace is all-sufficient to save us and meet all our needs in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 4:19)!  He alone is where we can find Hope, Peace, Joy and Love that endures for all time and eternity!

Love and Lordship…Action Item(s) – Do you know Him?

  1. Spend time with Him in His Word and prayer daily
  2. Seek Him and ask Him to help you know Him
  3. Ask Him to show you how much He loves you
  4. Pursue a loving relationship with Him… Christ died to give it to you
  5. Choose the Hope, Peace, Joy and Love found only in Him not the false pretenders found in the circumstances or struggles of the world or in our fickle feelings.