Author: John Johnstone

Let’s begin the New Year together considering our priorities. This will require some effort from each of us. We must sit down for an hour or so without distractions and consider what place God has in our priorities. It is right for us to focus on family and work, but that is not the place to begin. Begin with the LORD. The Lord stirred up his people. Will you pray, ‘Lord stir me up and stir us all up? ‘

Friends, Satan is real and active and wants us to think God’s rules are restrictive. Paul does not pray that the Thessalonians would try harder. Instead, he prays that the Lord would direct their hearts, again and again, to the love of God and to the steadfast obedience of Christ. This is a simple prayer we can pray for one another in our church. May the Lord direct your heart into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. Will you pray that prayer for others?

The child with four names: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. Surely, we can say that he is the complete King and the complete Saviour and that all we could ever need is found in him. Knowing Jesus, we can be totally satisfied. He is our wisdom and strength and love and peace. Bow your knee to him today. Know transformation.

The shepherds were the first to hear of Jesus’ birth and they believes God’s message through the angels. They went to see for themselves and their simple faith was rewarded as they became the first to see the Saviour. May God help us to go and see for ourselves what God has done in giving us his Son. May we respond like the angels and shepherds, with wonder and praise, giving glory to God.

Without Jesus, there is no true peace with God. There is no security or hope beyond the grave. But if we trust he died for us and give him his rightful place as the King over our lives, if we bow before him, he promises us peace and security forever. This is our Christmas hope. This is the true significance of the one born in insignificant Bethlehem.

Part of being a disciple of Jesus is like a tug-of-war experience. We need to pray for help to resist wrong desires. We need to understand that lust never delivers what it promises. And we need to believe that true and lasting joy and satisfaction only come through living within our Maker’s boundaries.

Let us take a moment to pause and think: is there someone we need to put things right with? Do we have to stay stuck in our anger? We need to repent of whatever is feeding your anger and pray to God for a godly attitude towards the person who has wronged you.

‘Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.’ (  (Ephesians 4:32)

Before salvation, God’s law is something external and burdensome. After salvation, we understand more of its depth and we have a God-given desire to keep it, fuelled by our love for Jesus and motivated to please him.

Will you go into the coming days determined to love those around you and to help them? Even if you are in a time of stress and trouble. You are still watched at such times as to how you will react. If you can maintain a love for others at such times, your light will be powerful and impactful. May the Lord help us all to shine for him as we do good to others.