"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7, ESV)
 
Many parts of the world do not celebrate New Year's Eve. They celebrate Old Year's Night. When I have been in those nations, I often hear comments like, "I wish our nation celebrated New Year's Eve. It seems like we are always trying to hang onto the old." "Old Year's Night is so depressing compared to New Year's Eve.”

Each is a perspective of looking at something. One looks forward, and the other looks back. One celebrates the future, and the other celebrates the past. One thinks about where we are going, and the other reflects on where we have been. In actuality, New Year's Eve and Old Year's Night are just markers, time designations on a calendar.

It is what you do with your life today that counts. As Paul, I want to press on to the high calling in Christ Jesus. I will celebrate the victories of last year. Learn from my mistakes and press on. I will set my face like flint towards my future—to become all God has called me to be and to accomplish all He has given me to do. I will not let my past stop me, nor will I be afraid of the future before me. So, whether I am looking back or looking ahead, where I am right now is what matters. I will keep my eyes on the prize and run to finish this race.

"But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body..." (Philippians 3:20,21 ESV)
 
Are there times when you no longer feel a part of this world? Paul did. He was excited to know that he was a citizen of heaven. And being a citizen of heaven created a longing in his heart to be there. What does it mean to be a citizen of heaven? The Greek word for citizen has as its root a word meaning 'fortified place." Later, it came to mean a community member sharing the same values.

Abraham was looking for that city whose builder and maker was God. (Hebrews 11:10,16). Seeing this city from afar, he lived as a pilgrim and stranger on Earth (Hebrews 11:14,16). As citizens of heaven, we are not a foreign colony on Earth but aliens in this place, just passing through. We, too, are looking for and moving toward this city built by God.

We are waiting for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ! And we know we will be transformed to have a glorious body like His when He returns. A body that will not wear out, break down, or contain any bad or missing parts. Being a believer gives me citizenship in two worlds: a heavenly one there and an earthly one here. It makes me kind of homesick.

"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44, ESV)
 
When Jesus said, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, He was making a radical statement. He really meant enemies, not people who irritate us or offend us. The standard teaching was to love your neighbors and hate your enemies. But Jesus was after the heart and what the heart contained. It was not acceptable for a person of the Kingdom of God to carry hatred in their heart.

The way you drive out such hate is by learning to love your enemies and to pray for your persecutors. How do you do that? One, you pray for their salvation. Though enemies, they are still people Jesus died for. As you pray for them, you will find your heart softening toward them because you see them as individuals loved by God. Two, pray that the evil in their hearts would be restrained and that the mercy of God would come upon their hearts. Mercy is what none of us deserve but all of us need. Third, pray for justice, but make sure your heart is in the right place. Justice is not your enemy's destruction but the destruction of the evil he holds in his heart and the destruction of the manifestation of that evil.

It is a radical thing that Jesus asks of us. But if the Kingdom operates in love, we have to do it.

"...Samuel said, "If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." (1 Samuel 7:3, ESV)
 
Repentance is a change of heart and a decision we make. Israel was facing her enemy, the Philistines. Is it not amazing when we find ourselves threatened by trouble that we call on the name of the Lord, saying, "Lord, save us!”

It was no different in Samuel's day. He knew their hearts, just as God knows our hearts. Samuel understood this, so he was directing their hearts into both faith and repentance. Do you remember when your mom would make you say you're sorry as a kid? You weren't sorry. You were sorry you were in trouble! Samuel knew that God was after the hearts of His people, Israel, so he directed their hearts back to God.

Let that be a 'game changer' for you when you are in trouble. Don't just ask God to deliver you from trouble; give him your heart. Turn away from the sin that so easily entangles. Let God have your heart. Serve Him only. God does not want to be your Savior only when you are in trouble. He wants to be your Savior every day! He wants to hold your heart in His hand so you might experience His goodness and enjoy Him.

2 Peter 1:5, "...make every effort to supplement your faith... For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:8, ESV)
 
Peter is talking about planning to grow spiritually. If every believer made every effort to grow spiritually, a major transformation would occur in the body of Christ. So many believers are just lazy. They have no desire to grow, no vision to grow, and no goals to grow spiritually. Look, you should be more of a Christian than you were last year.

Peter lists eight things we should grow in and possess in increasing measure. Jesus paid too great a price for you not to give Him your all and your best effort. You should have a plan for how you will grow spiritually. You could practice a Sermon on the Mount lifestyle. You could purpose to grow in the fruit of the Spirit. You could break down the love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13.

Go before the Lord and tell him you want to grow this coming year. Listen. Be still and listen for His gentle leading. Write down what you hear and begin to build a plan to grow. Do it with a friend, and you will see much more success. Hold each other to your strategies. Celebrate your successes often, and do not quit when you fall short.
Start building a spiritual life that Jesus would be proud of. Make every effort!

"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man." (Luke 2:52, ESV)
 
People grow best when they plan to grow. Show me a person who is growing, and I will show you a person who has a plan to grow. In Luke 2, we find the story of Jesus being left behind in Jerusalem while his parents return to Nazareth. He was twelve years old and listening and asking questions in the synagogue. Luke writes, "and all who heard him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.”

How did this young man get this way? I am sure Joseph, knowing he was raising the Son of God, had a plan to ensure Jesus was well-versed in the scriptures. My father-in-law had a saying, "Blessed is he who aims at nothing, for he shall surely hit it." So many people go through life like that. They have no goals. They have no plan to grow. They are adrift on the sea of life.

In what ways would you like to grow next year? List five or six things you would like to grow in. Now, set reasonable goals for each item. Make them measurable. You have to be able to measure progress daily, weekly, and monthly. What tools will you need to fulfill your goals? Find yourself an accountability partner who holds your objectives and can regularly ask how you are doing. If you take these simple steps, you will increase in favor and wisdom with God and man. Be intentional about growing.

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11, ESV)
 
I have always thought of Linus from the Charlie Brown Christmas Special when I hear these words. I do not mean to make light of the Gift. I desire to acknowledge the power and joy at the moment of Jesus' birth, making it so simple that children can understand it. The whole reason for His coming was to purchase for us, by His own blood, our salvation. So, it does not matter who reads these words; it still means, "For unto you!" We were the ones who needed saving. He was the one who came 'for us.' He is the one who the Father sent 'for us!’

He was born in the City of David according to the word of the prophets, thus fulfilling God's word. He is a Savior! Our Savior! He came to save us from serious peril! Our sin had condemned us to a devil's hell. But Jesus came to save us from that destruction! Beautiful Savior! We praise you!

He is Christ the Lord! What does that mean? He is Christ, meaning He is the Anointed One. God has authorized Him for a special Kingdom purpose: to represent us as the Victorious King! He has power over death, hell, and the grave! He is Lord over all! No one else even comes close to Him. Because He is Christ the Lord, He is a marvelous, loving Savior! For you, this is who He is!

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" (Luke 2:13–14, ESV)
 
When God does something, He always does it up big! Can you imagine being on that hillside the night the angel appeared to the shepherds? An angel shows up and announces, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11, ESV)  And the angel, barely finishing his announcement, is drowned out by a multitude of heavenly hosts that are breaking out in glorious song: "Glory to God in the Highest!" What a way to make an announcement! 

Not only is God being praised for His infinite wisdom, but the multitude of heavenly hosts are decreeing, "Peace among those with whom he is pleased!"   Peace is the absence of all hostile feelings. To those who believe on His name, He gives them the right to become children of God! As His children, we are dearly loved! We enjoy His peace, as only He can give. The joy of knowing that God is pleased with you—who can compare?

The message to the angels moved them to go and see. It is like receiving the revelation of who Jesus is, and you come running to Him! And it does not stop there. The angels returned with the song of the Lord in their hearts as they continued to watch over the sheep.

"But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart." (Luke 2:19, ESV)
 
What sets Mary apart from so many others is that she discovers and keeps true treasures in her heart. For such a young person, Mary is filled with God, encounters angels, carries the Christ child, is surprised by visits from excited shepherds, and is honored by wise men. In all this, she does not become proud but humble. She treasures all these things in her heart. What are you storing in your heart? What have you hidden away in your heart that God has given you?

"The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil." (Matthew 12:35, ESV). It matters what you put in your heart. Mary pondered these things in her heart. To ponder means to think about. It is not just about thinking but about connecting the things that are thought of. Mary wanted to 'understand' what all of this meant. What are the implications of these things? 

When God is working in our lives, we are hearing His voice and being led by Him in supernatural ways. We, like Mary, should treasure these things in our hearts because they are from God! It is in the pondering that we discover more of God's plan. In the pondering, the treasure is locked away for another day, in which we will need understanding. May you find and keep the true treasure of God.

"'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'" (Matthew 2:6, ESV)
 
When Herod asked the religious leaders of his day where Christ would be born, they quoted Micah 5:2, saying Bethlehem. Why Bethlehem? Because the scriptures made it clear through the prophet Micah that the Messiah, Jesus, would be born there. And that He would be of the lineage of David. Even though Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth, God saw fit to bring them to Bethlehem so that Jesus would be born there.

Bethlehem was such an insignificant little city for something so big to take place. Why? This is how God does things, so we cannot boast of our greatness. Bethlehem could not boast of its glory and strength; therefore, the Messiah was born there. God wanted everyone to know that this was His doing and not the achievements of men. 

God chose a stable so the innkeeper could not boast. God chooses insignificant Bethlehem to prove, once again, that man's achievements count for nothing. Hear these words of Paul: "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. ” (1 Corinthians 1:27–31, ESV)

May Christmas remind us of the exalted place of humility.