- He came to serve… “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life…” [Mark 10:45] This was His calling and it is mine as a Christ follower. I want to have the mind of Christ. I want to look not to my own interests, but to the interests of others. I want to be a servant of the Servant.
- He came to call sinners to repentance... Jesus said…“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” [Luke 5:32] In our present generation I know this has to be done with genuine concern and a spirit of humility, but I also know it must be done. Today, the lines have been blurred. The black and white of God’s truth has been reduced to a politically correct grey. I want to be bold to do what Jesus did in the way He did it.
- He came to give light the world... Jesus said… “I have come as light into the world…” [John 12:46] So many walk in darkness…stumbling, confused, lost…in some cases hiding from God or hiding out in order to victimize others. Without His coming our world would be a very dark place! And He said to his followers, “You are [now] the light of the world.” I want to be a bright spot in my corner of the world.
- He came to divide… “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” [Matthew 10:34] Jesus warned that His loving Lordship would not be appreciated or embraced by everyone and that His cross would be an occasion for division in families and between friends. It was true then and it is true today that there are divisions over those who believe in Him and those who don’t.
- He came to save us from hell... “For God sent not the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” [John 3:17] It is scriptural and it is rational, in a world so obviously dominated by the struggle between good and evil, to believe that a good God will punish evil and reward good, but in His mercy will save all who return His love. I want to be on a rescue mission with Him.
- He came to give us eternal life… “…whoever believes in Him [Jesus] will not perish, but have everlasting life.” [John 3:16] It is stated in so many places and in so many ways in the New Testament. Like the thief next to him on an adjacent cross, one day we want to hear Him, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” I want to go to heaven and take as many with me as I can.
Pray with me…Father God, as we close the books on another year of life, we want to renew our commitment to be Jesus in our circles of influence, starting with our own families and reaching out to our friends, neighbors, coworkers and schoolmates. May we not forget why He came and test ourselves on the threshold of this New Year to understand in fresh ways why we are here in our generation. In His wonderful Name, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
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