“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”
Colossians 2:6-7
Meditating on the arrival of 2022, I feel that the Lord is wanting to further establish in His people the ability to answer the question, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). When we look at the world around us, we see that there is an increasing divide between those who identify Jesus of Nazareth as, “The Christ, the Son of the living God” and, those who identify Him as either a man who never existed and thus irrelevant, or — a man who had some good teachings, but no exclusive link to salvation or heaven.
Going into this new year, we must make a purposeful choice to recommit ourselves to the reality of the supremacy of Jesus Christ, the Messiah! The world wants you to either deny His reality completely, or make you so numb to His Name, that you think you ‘know Him’ when that couldn’t be further from the truth. Does it grieve your spirit when you hear the Lord’s Name used as a bad word? The world can pervert the image of God. The world can pervert the life of Christ. The world can mock and paint a picture of the Church by her failures, making those who are not anchored in the Truth easily swayed by a false messiah. Do not be deceived!
Sometimes we can get caught in spiritual circles in the sense that our exposure to the ways of the world can be limited. In some ways, this can be a good thing, but don’t get caught in the trap of the ‘Christian Bubble.’ We are called to be salt and light to a dark and dying world. Now more than ever, the world needs Christians who declare through the power of the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is Hope to the hopeless. He is a Father to the fatherless. He is Love. He is Peace. He is Joy!
One of the things that is lacking in today’s society is hope. Those who know Jesus as the Christ, have a foundation of hope. But, as you hear from us frequently — there is a difference between knowing about someone and knowing someone personally. As Christians, we have a hope that is sure — “. .. According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading .. .” (1 Peter 1: 3-4 ESV). This inheritance of living hope is not only made manifest in eternal life through faith, which is amazing in itself, but also grants access to the living water that can be found in the reality of Christ through the Holy Spirit. This fountain springs up into everlasting life. This fountain is the carrier to eternity. This fountain is the avenue to the knowledge of the Christ. This fountain is the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39)!
Friends, dedicate this year to DAILY drinking from the fountain of Living Water — the Holy Spirit. Do not let the world deceive you and define Jesus for you. You must go to the well daily. Drink from the Word of God. We need the Holy Spirit to encourage and guide us on this journey. Rededicate your heart, your time, your talent, and your treasure to the discovery of the reality of Paul’s prayer to -the Ephesians, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power in us who believe” (Ephesians 1:17-19a RSV).
The world needs hope! Hope is found in Christ alone. No Christ, no hope. Know Christ, know hope. Know Christ!
