JANUARY 2023
FROM THE PASTORS DESK
“New Beginnings!” Think about that phrase. Aren’t you glad that new beginnings are possible in this life? Many of us have made New Year’s resolutions in the past. Most of them revolve around our weight or finances. “This is the year I am going to lose 10 pounds (or 50 for some of us).” However, to be honest, those resolutions usually last until the end of January, and then we return to a more normal pattern of behavior by February. Sadly, our new beginnings do not last long for most of us.
Is there any hope for lasting change? The answer to this question will have a significant impact on our outlook of life, our willingness to take risks for the Gospel and for the Kingdom of God, and our ability to navigate this turbulent life without being overtaken by bitterness and cynicism. The answer to the question is a resounding “Yes!” Jesus Christ offers His people lasting change. The new beginning that we find in Christ is so much more stable and eternal than our New Year’s resolutions. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church about the lasting change that Jesus makes in the lives of His people. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 he wrote, “ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.”
Either the change Jesus makes in our lives is real, lasting, and comprehensive or it is not. If the change Jesus makes in our lives is not real, lasting, and comprehensive then what good is it ultimately? What difference would Jesus make if after a month those who trusted in Him were exactly like they were before they trusted Him? What difference would it make throughout eternity if the change Jesus makes in the lives of those who trust Him only lasted for a few years? Ultimately, what difference would it make if Jesus only changed us for a lifetime, but then, after death, had no impact on us? To the same church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul wrote, “If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone (1 Corinthians 15:19).” A Christian faith that only affect life in this realm is a pitiful faith indeed.
As we begin a new year, let us remember that the hope we have in Jesus Christ is a hope for real, lasting, comprehensive change that will benefit and bless us now and for eternity. Furthermore, as we begin a new year, let us take an honest look at ourselves and ask a simple question, “Is there any evidence in my life of an undeniable change that could only occur through a saving relationship with Jesus Christ?” If there is no discernible change wrought through the presence of Christ in a person’s life then there is a high probability that whatever beliefs that person has about Jesus falls short of a born-again relationship with Him.
Please begin this new year by making the most important decision you could ever make, a decision to follow Christ in a saving way. The joy, hope, peace, and assurance that Christ gives to His people is the greatest blessing we could ever experience on January 1, December 31, and every day in between.
Is there any hope for lasting change? The answer to this question will have a significant impact on our outlook of life, our willingness to take risks for the Gospel and for the Kingdom of God, and our ability to navigate this turbulent life without being overtaken by bitterness and cynicism. The answer to the question is a resounding “Yes!” Jesus Christ offers His people lasting change. The new beginning that we find in Christ is so much more stable and eternal than our New Year’s resolutions. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church about the lasting change that Jesus makes in the lives of His people. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 he wrote, “ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.”
Either the change Jesus makes in our lives is real, lasting, and comprehensive or it is not. If the change Jesus makes in our lives is not real, lasting, and comprehensive then what good is it ultimately? What difference would Jesus make if after a month those who trusted in Him were exactly like they were before they trusted Him? What difference would it make throughout eternity if the change Jesus makes in the lives of those who trust Him only lasted for a few years? Ultimately, what difference would it make if Jesus only changed us for a lifetime, but then, after death, had no impact on us? To the same church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul wrote, “If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone (1 Corinthians 15:19).” A Christian faith that only affect life in this realm is a pitiful faith indeed.
As we begin a new year, let us remember that the hope we have in Jesus Christ is a hope for real, lasting, comprehensive change that will benefit and bless us now and for eternity. Furthermore, as we begin a new year, let us take an honest look at ourselves and ask a simple question, “Is there any evidence in my life of an undeniable change that could only occur through a saving relationship with Jesus Christ?” If there is no discernible change wrought through the presence of Christ in a person’s life then there is a high probability that whatever beliefs that person has about Jesus falls short of a born-again relationship with Him.
Please begin this new year by making the most important decision you could ever make, a decision to follow Christ in a saving way. The joy, hope, peace, and assurance that Christ gives to His people is the greatest blessing we could ever experience on January 1, December 31, and every day in between.
- Pastor Clint Miller
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