In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. And here we come to the end of another year. How quickly the years pass, especially as you grow older. Never mind. How was it for you? Undoubtedly, like everyone else, you had your good days, and you had your bad days. For those reading these reflections regularly or spending time reading the Bible, I believe there were more good days than bad. Why? Because our faith has increased. As Paul says, "Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ" (Romans 10:17). And faith leads to some pretty great living. First, it brings salvation. As Jesus said, "Anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life" (John 5:24). This "new life" contains everything we need to lead the life of abundance that Christ has promised us (see John 10:10). The new life includes healing, prosperity, peace, love, joy (1 Peter 1:8). Faith also brings answers to prayers. The more we hear about our Lord, the more we trust him. Eventually, this faith translates into miracles. Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mark 11:23-24). All this leads to good days! As we enter a new year, I have a lot of new things in store for you, including videos of the ongoing Lessons in the Wilderness series. I will also be introducing a new series titled "Identity," where we will discover who we are in Christ and how to live in the newness of life I spoke about today. So stay tuned on Facebook and YouTube. Have a blessed end to this year. Stay safe. And stay God's.
