Are you a skeptic about 2014, grimacing with a crooked face as the world becomes more unstable every day? You can have peace and hope for the future in Jesus.
John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
Whatever it is you face next year, no matter how difficult, Jesus can give you the strength to overcome and endure.
1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
What does you faith look like? You're going to need it. Chin up, Jesus is the overcomer.
Sadly, we don't always appreciate what we have in Jesus. In fact, we spend a lot of time asking for things He has already given us.
We pray for love when God says that His love is "shed abroad in our hearts" (Rom. 5:5).
We pray for peace when Jesus has already said, "Peace I leave with you . . . (John 14:27).
We pray for joy when the Bible tells us plainly that we have "joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Pet. 1:8 ).
We pray for strength to do the things God has called us to do when He already told us that we can "do all things through Christ which strengtheneth us" (Phil. 4:13).
We Worry over our needs when The Lord has already promised to meet them (Phil 4:19).
We seek His presence when He has said, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." (Heb. 13:5).
2 Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.
Saul was murdering Christians, yet God reached down in grace, saved his soul, transformed his life, renamed him Paul, and used him to change the world.
Your past is no obstacle to your future in the hands of The Lord. Regardless of what you've done, Jesus will save you. He will wash your past sins away and never remember them again. You get a brand new start. The Bible calls this the "new birth".
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
I'm glad God doesn't hold forgiven sins against us. Like the Apostle Paul, He can use us in a mighty way if we let him.
Isaiah 38:17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
One purpose of the Incarnation was for God to reveal Himself to mankind.
John 10:30 I and my Father are one.
As the only begotten of the Father, Jesus had the same substance of the Father. As the Son of Man, He was human in every way except for His sin nature.
Another purpose Jeaus came was to give His life to take away our sins.
1 John 3:5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin.
If our greatest need had been for information, God would have sent us an educator. If it had been for technology, God would have sent us a scientist. Had it been for money, God would have sent us an economist. Had it been for pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer.
But our greatest need was for forgiveness, so God sent us a Saviour!
