Ask the Pastor 140

How should we approach a new year?

There are basically three thoughts that we should have with the coming year. The first is that time belongs to Lord our God. The Lord is transcendent outside of and above time, He is not bound by time, space or matter. But He has created time, space and matter and mankind was created in time, space and matter. The Lord has dictated, “That to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, see also vs. 2-8). Then again, we read, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts,” (vs 11). While we live in time, we have a sense of eternity within us and therefore, we have an inclination to want to know what happens after we die. The second, is that we are to redeem the time that we have been given, “See that you walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16). To walk circumspectly is to order our conduct in a straight line, which would be a life of purpose according to the truth of the Word of God. To redeem is to buy back, in this text it is to buy up the time for the purpose of living a Spirit filled life by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and thereby knowing what comes after death. The third is to look forward to this year as being the year in which the Lord may return, “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake our of sleep; for now, our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” (Romans 13:11) and “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:13). Therefore, we understand that the best way to look forward to the new year is to know that we have everlasting life because of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; as a result of this life, we can live lives of integrity and diligence through the power of the Holy Spirit within us; and we also look up for the return of our Lord to take us to be forever with Himself.

Have questions about the Bible? Send them to Dr. Greg Koehn at gak4850@gmail.com and read the answer here in this article.