Author: Brian Burdett

“Give attention to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you do I pray.
O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.”
– Psalm 5:2-3

Make time to begin your day with prayer. Lift your voice to the Lord and practice the privilege of coming before the Lord of the Universe with praise, confession, thanksgiving, and the needs of your own soul and those in your life. Intercede for this dark, confused, and broken world with its Creator.

Do you have to pray in the morning? No, but why wouldn’t you? If we’re to “pray without ceasing” we should begin at the beginning of the day. Jesus rose very early to pray, going out to dark and desolate places to be alone with His Father. If you’re a Christian, then God is also your Father and you should start the day just like your brother Jesus did.

Prayer isn’t a chore. Prayer isn’t a box to be checked. It’s a joyous time of fellowship with your loving Father in Heaven. However, prayer isn’t automatically joyous for most Christians. Most of us need to learn a bit about how to pray to grow in our enjoyment of our time with God. Most of us need to intentionally choose prayer as a joyous time, then seek to experience it in that way.

If aren’t currently consistent in your prayer life or you don’t currently look forward to your morning meetings with God, ask a more mature Christian for advice and assistance in learning to offer up that morning sacrifice of praise, thanksgiving, and prayer.

“And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” – Acts 2:21

The prophecy of Joel was fulfilled when God poured out His Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. On that day, the church was born. On that day, the mission to make disciples of all nations began in the power of the Holy Spirit. On that day, God’s indwelling, life-transforming presence became part of every follower of Jesus. On that day this verse became the guarantee to everyone of every tribe, language, and nation if they simply call upon the mighty name of Lord Jesus for salvation. They WILL be saved!

Everyone who calls upon Jesus for salvation will have their sins forgiven, their shame washed away, their record of guilt erased. In Christ, we are made new. Clean. Whole. Righteous. Joined with Him. Not because of anything we’ve done but because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross – suffering and dying in our place to pay the price for our sins. Christ died. Christ rose. Christ will come again. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. If you haven’t already, make that call!

“And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” – Revelation 22:5

As we contemplate this verse on the eve of a new year, let’s be clear about who “they” are. “They” are followers of Jesus. Believers in the resurrected Son of God, the Lamb Who was Slain. They are those who’ve yielded their lives to the lordship of Christ and committed to take up their cross daily behind Him.

On this day when we naturally reflect on the past year and anticipate the year to come, let your imagination roam a bit farther forward, particularly if you’re one of “them” – if you’re a Christian. This verse describes your forever future – an eternity lived in the unimaginably beautiful light of our radiant and glorious God Himself.

Now contemplate what you’ll be doing in that forever future… If you’re a follower of Jesus, you will be reigning alongside Him! You will have authority from Him. You will reign forever and ever. It won’t just be King Jesus reigning, but every adopted brother and sister who reigns under Him with His delegated authority. You have important work ahead of you! May this vision encourage you, particularly if the present days feel particularly dark. An endless run of infinitely brighter days lies ahead of you in Jesus Christ!

“And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'” – Revelation 21:5

For followers of Jesus, we have this wonderful comfort! Jesus will make ALL things new! The disasters, devastation, destruction, and death we see so often today will pass away and the earth will be made new by King Jesus. The bad news will stop and the only news will be good news. In Christ, there is so much hope to encourage us, even when we’ve grown completely weary of this broken world.

The devastating effects of mankind’s fall into sin will one day be completely reversed. The curse will be no more. All will be as God made it to be. There will be no more sickness, weakness, suffering, or death. There will be no more beauty marred by evil, hatred, horror, cruelty, selfishness, or greed. There will simply be beauty in creation and the beauty of the Creator Who will be present with us in His creation.

These promises are certain. The words of Jesus are trustworthy and true. If Jesus is your Lord, then this future is yours! Rejoice in your forever future as you prepare to turn your calendar to a new year.

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.” – Revelation 20:11-12

One day, there will be judgment. Justice is inevitable and absolute. Everyone living and everyone dead will one day give an account of his or her life and how it was lived for the purposes and glory of God. That will certainly be difficult for everyone. We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s expectation, design, and glory. Nonetheless, there is hope, for there won’t just be the books containing the history of our lives, actions, words, and thoughts.

There is also the Book of Life. The Book of Life contains the names of everyone who will be welcomed into God’s eternal presence despite what’s written in the other books. Everyone should earnestly desire to be in the Book of Life. So, how does one get his or her name written into the Book of Life? There’s only one way!

Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. It’s only by God’s grace extended through faith in Jesus Christ that anyone’s name is written into the Book of Life. Because the wages of sin is death and we’ve all sinned, none of us can be written into the Book of Life on our own. We can only be written into the Book of Life because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins. He died and rose to life so that everyone who believes in Him will have their name written into the Book of Life.

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, your name is in the Book of Life. So, is your name in the Book of Life??? If not, what’s stopping you from believing in Jesus and having your name added to the Book?