New Years' Prayer

As I await the start of the New Year, I find myself filled with curiosity, excitement and great expectations as I consider what the Lord has in store for us in 2017. God has been so faithful to us, and this past year we have seen and experienced so many of His blessings! So I wonder, how does He want to use us in the coming year?

I also wonder if we will we be faithful to the Lord and His leading, or will we miss out on His best? What kind of Body are we going to be? One that functions in dependence, integrity, and obedience, or will we settle for the status quo? Will we choose to take a stand for Christ or seek to keep a low pro le and y under the radar? You know, it is so easy to settle, to accept the way things are. It’s easy to get in a rut and allow life, your life in Christ, to become far less then God intended or desires. It is also possible for people who love the Lord, to lose sight of the fact that He expects all of His people to stand out and shine in this present darkness.

In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus said: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Light is a common theme in scripture, and its function is to make reality or truth visible, thereby giving direction and guidance by what is seen. Jesus said we are to be like a lighted lamp set on a lampstand, in a prominent place so that it gives light to the whole house and not stuck under a bucket, where it does no good. In other words, as Christians we are intended to infuence and impact the world around us for good, making Christ visible through our lives and through our actions. Are we doing that? Will it be our goal, corporately and individually this year to be light in this community and wherever else God may choose to send us? Click here to read more.