As we look back to a year that was more than a little chaotic and begin another that portends even more uncertainty, we must do so with a robust, engaged trust in the One who is Lord over yesterday, today and tomorrow. As we set forth on a new year we are not only looking forward in hope but moving forward in faith—totally engaged in believing God with all our hearts.
As believers we are “citizens of heaven”—yet we live in a very real world with very real circumstances and challenges. We are in many ways like Abraham in ancient days. Here’s what Hebrews 11:8-10 says about him: By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Consider what Abraham had as he looked to the future…
• He had a clarion call from the Creator to simply believe and leave—to pack up and depart by faith for a land unknown, leaving behind all that was familiar and comfortable.
• He had an open ear to hear the voice of God; and he listened attentively.
• He had a solid promise from a totally reliable Promise- Giver—a promise that not only affected his life but an entire, unique people that God would call his own.
• He had a distinct opportunity to freely decide to stay where he was or to move forward by faith.
• He had a clear perspective of the journey he was on and the destination to which he was headed. He looked beyond the temporary and saw an eternal city whose architect and builder is God.
And what do we have?
•We have an unmistakable call to follow God throughout our earthly sojourn and into eternity with Him.
•We have a God who can be trusted—the very same God who called Abraham, and who now brings us into personal relationship with him through the fulfilled promise of a Saviour, Christ the Lord.
•We have a God who has graciously provided for everything that pertains to life both now and forever.
•We have an opportunity to be witnesses here on earth and to one day join that “great crowd of witnesses” in heaven.
Until our Lord comes or we go to be with him, we are called to tell everyone we can of his love and grace.
Yes, there are very real issues and uncertainties that we encounter while here on this earth. It’s true that in this life we must endure difficulties, trials and unpleasant sufferings. But we have so much more than Abraham had when he took his first step on a long journey towards what was for him an unknown destination. With the benefit of God’s revelation in his Word, we have far more information and details about the Lord, his call and our destiny. We also have the constant guidance of the Holy Spirit. And we have that confirm the essentials: God is with us; we are in fellowship with members of a universal Body; we have ways to strengthen one another; and we have received a commission that is clear and was given with a great assurance.
May our eyes be fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. May our ears be attuned to his voice. May our feet be firmly planted on earth while our eyes are fixed on things above. May our hands be engaged in service for him so that if this be the last year we have to serve him here it will be done with love and abandon for him and his great mission to seek and save those who are lost. -By Denys Blackmore