Dear brothers and sisters in Christ –
We have just entered the year AD 2019.
And now, just as much as ever, Jesus Christ is the center of history. Everything before Him is B.C. (Before Christ) and everything after Him is AD (Anno Domini – in the year of our Lord). Without Him “nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3). He saved us from eternal damnation. In Him, we have salvation, the forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting. God tells us that the Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of Christ” in us (Romans 8:9).
Therefore, He is worthy of all glory! God inspired David to write “declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). All that was in David, all that was capable of glorification, sang out to his God! Let that be us!
We exalt and glorify Christ in a number of ways. The first is trusting in His Word that tells of His great love for us. We are told by the Apostle John, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1). Confident that God through Jesus Christ has given us eternal worth we now seek to exalt His name “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
How? Look at John 14:23. We say we love Him. How do we make that love manifest? We “keep His Word.”
In the trenches of life, we obey. For example: in a video store or on Netflix you can rent a family movie, or you can rent a movie that blasphemes God, demeans women, and exalts violence. If you love Him, you love what He loves.
When someone really needs you, you can make an excuse and tell them how busy you are, or you can forget your schedule and be there for them. If you really love Him, you obey Him.
Ephesians 4:12 tells us that God wants us to be equipped for ministry. That’s Jesus’ command.
We can obey Him, seek a ministry in our congregation and be part of the Body, or do nothing more than sit in the pew. We can be part of a midweek Bible study or stay home and watch television. We can say that we love Him, or we can show we love Him.
So as you set your New Year’s resolutions, add one for your faith life. What will you do? I don’t know, but I encourage you to take the next step in your faith.
Happy New Year!
Pastor Hartwig