As we sit on the cusp of a New Year, most, if not all, of us are longing for positive change. Whether we long for a change in stressful circumstances, our health, finances, or social status, we pin our hopes on the possibility that things will improve as we say goodbye to the woes of days gone by and step into what we hope will be a bright new future.
To be real, what if things don’t change? What if the inauguration of a new president doesn’t bring about economic prosperity or social justice? What if wars don’t cease and gun violence and natural disasters continue to plague our society? What if life gets more difficult and we find our circumstances even harder to handle?
The only real hope we have is if we allow Jesus to change us by receiving his salvation for our sins and surrender every aspect of our lives to his control. Jesus knows, far better than we do, what is best for us, so don’t be afraid to surrender your heart and your life to him. He is faithful and true, loving and kind, and has promised to work all things together for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).
A personal relationship with Jesus opens the way to intimate fellowship with God—our loving Heavenly Father—and the grace, power, and wisdom of the Holy Spirit which we so desperately need in order to face the challenges and difficulties of living in a fallen world. God’s Word, the Bible, provides the truth and instruction we need to understand how to live in relationship with God and others.
Jesus loves you so much that he suffered a brutal death on the cross to save and redeem you (John 3:16). You don’t have to do anything to earn his salvation except to ask that he forgive your sins and live in your heart, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Romans 10:9-10, 13 ESV).
Jesus is faithful and his mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). I don’t know about you, but I need God’s mercy every single day!
Jesus himself is our peace (Ephesians 2:14) and he promises to keep in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed on him because we trust in him (Isaiah 26:3).
If you have never received Jesus as your Savior, or if you have fallen out of fellowship with him because of sin and circumstances, I pray you will start the New Year with REAL HOPE by placing your faith in him and surrendering every area of your life to him. Trust me, you need him. I need him. Life is hard. In fact, Jesus himself said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (Luke 16:33, ESV).
