The tree is down, the decorations are put away. But, as I leave the Christmas celebrations behind and prepare to enter into the New Year, God is still very much in my midst. Yes, my mind continues to be stayed on our Savior, Jesus Christ.
I find it is interesting that Isaiah tells us that Jesus was given as a Son, instead of born as one. However, that is the only word that can be used to describe His coming because He has always existed. So, the Son of God was given to us. He is a gift of grace. Yet, we are also told that He was born in that He came in the flesh as one of us to dwell among us, in order to redeem us. What amazing love and grace is found in Jesus Christ, our God and our Savior!
God is with us because Jesus came into the world to take our judgment and give us His righteousness (right standing). Our righteousness is a gift of grace, as is redemption; and, neither is kept by our good works nor lost by our lack of them. This is reason to celebrate, my friends! This is the reason we can have confidence that God is indeed with us every moment of our lives! This is a truth we want to carry with us into the new year and beyond so that we may grow in the reality of grace and redemption in our lives. As we accept Christ’s work in place of our own, we are able to experience the reality of God’s presence with us. We have peace and fellowship with God. As a result, good works do progressively happen through us as a fruit of grace (Jesus Christ) operating in and through our lives.
Enter into the New Year with confidence, my brothers and sisters in Christ. God loves you and He is with you! You and I can walk with great confidence and expectation to experience God’s favor. Why? Because Christ made it available for God to be with us while we are on our journey to perfection. Yes, He is with us, even though we sometimes sin.
Wishing you a Joyous and Prosperous New Year in 2014, and an ever increasing awareness of God’s presence with you!
Sarah
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