Essential Aspirations For The New Year 2023!

Aspirations may not be the word you use when you think about making changes or beginning new things in a New Year. Perhaps you use the word resolutions or more honestly yet “illusions” (humor added!).

Regardless of what word you choose, I appreciate the way the Word of God gives me access to the men and women of faith who so much have and continue to influence my life - and I suspect yours too. 

The book of Jude is probably not the place where most of us would go when it comes to considering good New Year’s aspirations or resolutions. However, I have found recently that it is. As we get close to Jude, we can hear his strong emphasis on several things that are essential for us to consider in this new year. 

I invite you to read the following verses found in the only chapter of his book:

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”

As you can see, there are quite a few action verbs in this few verses. Jude exhorts us to:

• Build up our most holy faith

• Pray in the Holy Spirit

• Keep ourselves in the love of God

• Await for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ

• Have mercy on those who doubt

• Save others out of the fire

• Show mercy with fear to others

According to Jude, these actions need to be our priorities. For him, our holy faith, our communion in prayer and dependency on the Holy Spirit, being rooted in the love of God, living with our expectations set on Jesus, and relating to other people in God-honoring ways are paramount.

Interestingly, as we read these verbs in our English language, they do sound as imperatives. To anyone’s surprise, the only imperatives in this list are: 

Keep yourself in the love of God, have mercy on those who doubt, save others by snatching them our of the fire, and show mercy with fear to those who are defiled by their own flesh or way of living.

This is not to say that the other exhortations are not as important, it just means that a stronger emphasis is placed on them. The imperatives are not considered options but rather requirements.

My encouragement to us is to sit with these verses and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to each one of us. As we do this, we may find grace to align our hearts and lives with the priorities God has for His children in this short letter. 

Jude ends his letter offering us the basis for our confidence:

“24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

May God’s will become our resolutions or aspirations in the New Year 2023!

—Diego Cuartas

The Top of the Christmas List

I am a serial list maker.

At any given point in time, I will have a dozen scrawled lists wadded up in my purse. And ten more scattered by my chair or stuffed in any available orifice in my car.

I love them. I live by them. I need them.

So Christmas is especially fun for me. Lists of seasonal activities to get on the calendar. Lists of chores to accomplish in December. Lists of party foods and groceries to buy. Lists of Pinterest ideas to try. Lists of recipes to find. Lists of Hallmark movies to watch. Lists of Christmas cards to send. You get the idea.

But best of all is the Christmas gift list, quite necessary for a Grammy with more than a few grandchildren who need the perfect gift. Like Old Saint Nick, from Thanksgiving on, I’m making my lists and checking them twice…and many more times after that!

So, the other evening, perusing one of my master copies, I took out my marker and began checking off one name after another.  Check. Check. Check. I was feeling pretty proud of myself. Gift Shopping Mission nearly accomplished, and it wasn’t even Christmas Eve.

From out of nowhere, I heard my younger me singing in a long-ago Christmas program in the magical, darkened and decorated little church of my childhood.

“What can I give Jesus? I want to do my part.

What can I give Jesus? The love of all my heart.

My hands and feet. My money too. My praises and my songs.

I’ll give them all to Jesus for all to Him belongs.”

Memories flooded over me and tears stung my eyes. That mini-Eileen meant every word she sang, ever-so-slightly off key, that distant night. Like the mythical Little Drummer Boy, she knelt at the manger, staring with adoration and wonder at the babe she already knew as her Savior, and anguished over what she, a shy, empty-handed child, could possibly give Him, the One she loved so very much.

She didn’t even have a drum, so she lisped Him a song the very best she knew how.

I thought about that night and the words of that sweet song and wondered at how I so simply resolved the question back then. But did I ponder what else I could give Him? Besides my praises and my songs, the lyrics suggested I give Jesus my hands, feet, money, and the love of my heart. What would that look like?

I probably made a list!

1.    Dry the dishes and pull weeds. Hands.

2.    Run to Dodge’s Market for Mommy. Feet.

3.    Empty my piggy bank and send my coins to India. Money.

4.    Tell Jesus I love Him every day. Heart.

Check. Check. Check.

There were lots of tasks for a willing and obedient little girl to accomplish to show Jesus her love and gratitude. Especially at Christmas.

And I’m sure He smiled.

And aren’t there lots of tasks for willing and obedient big girls too? Certainly. But I’ve come to believe that my good works, as well-intentioned as they are, aren’t the very best gift I can offer my King.

Will I kneel at the manger and just adore Him?

As a much older and hopefully wiser girl, I realize that my God isn’t just asking me to legalistically check things off some grand, cosmic TO DO list so I can earn His attention and His favor—and maybe even my salvation.

What He really wants, the best gift I can offer Him, is the affection of my whole heart, the inner control center of ME. Essentially, I wrap myself up and lay me at His feet. Every single day. Not just at Christmas.

I then, out of loving surrender, live my life, plan my days, and make my lists, in pursuit of His Kingdom’s priorities and purposes. Because I love Him so much, I want to honor Him in everything, so I will gladly do what He wants (my hands!) anywhere I go (my feet!) and use my resources to bless others as I have been so richly blessed (my money!) by Him. And my lips will suddenly, uncontrollably burst forth in praise and song. Still a bit flat. But it all flows from my heart that is His, over-flowing with His gracious and unmerited love, love that He wants to spill out to others through me. And not just at Christmas.

How can we NOT fall at the manger and worship Him? How can we NOT give Him our whole hearts? How can we NOT place Him at the top of our Christmas Gift lists?

So what will you give Jesus? Your whole heart and all that goes with it?

I know it will make Him smile.

Even if your song is a little off-key.

—Eileen Hill

The Light is the King

Light can be directed or followed. The light that has dawned over the people dwelling in darkness in the region of the shadow of death is one to be followed. It must be followed because it emanates from a King.  After Matthew mentions the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in 4:16, we find that the “light” that has dawned is a person named Jesus. A few verses later we find this “light” walking and talking to people who walked in darkness. He appears to a few fishermen on the Sea of Galilee and beckons them to “Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The light was to be followed, not wielded.

This truth made it impossible for some to receive the light. Many wanted to use “The light” to satisfy their own desires. After seeing that the light was not able to be directed, they turned away back into the darkness. Many, like King Herod, who liked to be called “The Great,” went so far as to attempt to put out “The light.” 

This Christmas, may we be reminded that the baby in the manger is the “Light of the World”. The baby in the manger is also the King of Kings. There is no light outside His Kingdom. If you have seen Him but still walk in great darkness, maybe it is time to receive Him as King. To experience light in this dark land, one must follow Christ as King. We desperately need this light. On our knees, may we ask God to give us new hearts to exalt His King and Kingdom and not our own. As we struggle with our own sin, may we remember the King comes bearing a cross, with forgiveness of sins and new life for those who lay down their lives and follow Him. Hallelujah. The Light will lead us through the valley of the shadow of death. In the process, He will make us lights in the world, magnifying Jesus, The LIGHT!

Merry Christmas,

—Roger Garrison

Essentials

Ok. Time to simply remind myself of some life essentials.

I want to:

Love and enjoy the love of my beloved, the one who gave himself for me

Truly know, love, and give my life for the human I pledged to love my entire life

Actively intercede for my children, and their spouses, and their children. Bringing them daily to Jesus

Live openly 

Conduct my life in humility so Father does not have to oppose me

Be bold in my call and anointing

Care for whomever Father bring across my heart

Do what I can to serve, in the name of my beloved, wherever I am

—George Davis