- To know Jesus better and to love and trust Him more…
- To keep my eyes fixed on the Author and Perfecter of our faith…
- To daily remember: ‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me…’ (Galatians 2:20)
These are goals God has for me in 2021. My resolutions tend to fizzle, but the Holy Spirit’s desires are solid and true. He wants us all to grow in the Son. “We all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (II Corinthians 3:18)
As we contemplate; as we focus; as we praise; as we trust; as we fall more and more in love with our Savior… we are transformed into His image. Jesus entrusted Himself to His Father and was guided by the Spirit while on this earth. “He learned obedience through the things He suffered…” (Hebrews 5:8) If the perfect Chosen One ‘learned obedience,’ will not our loving Father teach us? And if suffering is a part of the plan… so be it.
As much as we as parents hate to see our children face difficulty or fall or suffer, we know deep down that hardship teaches perseverance and perseverance brings maturity. The child who never learns to fight through tough circumstances or never struggles to get back up after failing or one who refuses to accept discipline or correction can never reach his or her potential. If God permitted Jesus to go through difficulty to prepare Him for His ultimate purpose, I should not shrink back from my trials. Rather, I must draw close to God.
The writer of Hebrews says faith brings ‘full assurance.’ The Father wants us to live in ‘full assurance’… keeping in mind these divine truths:
- Our time on earth is short… eternity is forever.
- Jesus has saved us… and God has called us His children. And that is what we are!
- The Father is for us… who can be against us?
- Absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- As we abide in Christ (the Vine) and He abides in us (the branches), He will produce fruit.
- God is faithful!
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened up for us through the curtain, that is His Body, and since we have a Great High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:19-23