New Year, New Hope

Scriptures: Hebrews 11:1-6, Hebrews 11:13-16, James 2:14-18

Faith

True faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God’s fidelity to his promises. — Francis Chan

The idea of “having faith” is something we often throw around. Our culture has deemed “just have faith” the answer to just about every problem that doesn’t have a clear solution. 

And although I do believe our faith lays the foundation for our walk with Jesus, faith without internal and external action is profitless. We can say, “I have faith,” but if our hearts and souls aren’t ready to back up that statement, then what good is it? Faith is a living, bold trust in God’s grace—so certain of God’s existence that it would risk death a million times.

Looking to Scripture, a man named Peter gives us a wonderful example of faith initiation. Although Peter was mocked on various occasions for his childlike actions, he was a faithful servant who loved Jesus with all of his heart. Matthew 14:25–29 paints a beautiful picture of Peter’s faith and trust in Jesus. Here, Peter is given the opportunity to internally and externally initiate his faith by stepping off the safety and comfort of his boat. Amid the crashing of waves and rolling of thunder, Peter takes a step of faith toward the ultimate goal: Jesus.

We can make fun of Peter all we want, but if we’re really honest with ourselves, I don’t see anyone else faithful enough to step off that boat. Sometimes having faith means engaging in something so bold that you will end up looking stupid if Jesus doesn’t come through.

The reality is, we all want to walk on water, but none of us wants to step off the boat. It’s time to initiate our faith. It’s time to step off the boat. Faith is the vision of the heart; it sees God in the darkest of times as well as in the brightest of days.

Of course, Peter’s not perfect. Far from it. One of the other stories that Peter’s so well-known for is his denial of Jesus. Three times Peter denied Jesus. “You’re not one of that man’s disciples, are you?” he was asked. “No, I am not,” Peter replied. After everything Peter had been through with Jesus—after walking on water with Him!—his faith wavered, and he still couldn’t go all in. But his story doesn’t end there. It’s believed that Peter later died a martyr’s death for Jesus.

Faith isn’t a fire hose that you turn on once and keep going full blast forever and ever. I wish I could claim a faith like that, but it just doesn’t happen. Faith changes. It wavers. Some experiences in life will shake your faith; others will strengthen it. The same Peter that steps out into the storm later denies Jesus and even later is killed for his relentless faith. The important thing is to hold on to the faith God has given you and to act on it!

Ultimately, hearing the word initiates faith; speaking the word activates faith; doing the word demonstrates faith.

Challenge:

How should your faith in God impact your behavior? What needs to change in your life to better demonstrate your faith?

Scriptures: Psalms 40:1-8, Philippians 2:1-8

Obedience

God is God. Because He is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to. — Elisabeth Elliot

The phrase “live like Jesus” is something we as believers often hear but do we really understand what it means? Are we really living a life that radiates Christ? And are we truly abandoning our fleshly desires to pick up the cross that changed the destiny of all humanity?

When I was younger, I once heard a pastor say, “Partial obedience is disobedience.” And while everyone around me began to get up from their chairs, clapping and saying, “Amen!” I quietly sat in my seat. The phrase smacked me across the face and pierced me to the core. It is so true. We cannot go about our lives half-heartedly walking with God in hopes that He will give us a full-heart transformation. It just doesn’t work.

If we are truly living like Jesus, then why are we still sinning? The depth behind the phrase “live like Jesus” is immeasurable. And although this is a great starting point for our relationship with Him, truly understanding its meaning is more beneficial than aimlessly trying to accomplish its task. 

Rather than trying to run through a superficial checklist of good deeds and acts of kindness, what if we spent time learning from Jesus about what perfect love and kindness look like? What if we tried to imbue every thought, every word, every action with the love and kindness of Jesus? 

Instead of trying to accomplish good works like they are extracurricular activities for a college application, we should try to live lives that God’s grace can flow through. This is possible when we obey.

The reality is, God never intended for us to remain the same; He intended for us to remain obedient. For in remaining obedient, we will not remain the same. In our obedience, we open ourselves up to being totally and radically changed by Jesus.

Jesus wants us to find our divine purpose of living like Him. By practicing obedience, we create space in our lives for Jesus to do His work. In time, I think you’ll find that a life of obedience will have a lot more purpose and a lot less confusion. When we learn to be obedient, only then can we truly find freedom. 

In other words, by becoming obedient to God, we free ourselves up to experience the amazing things He has in store for us. Total obedience makes us ready for a truly fulfilling life.

Challenge:

Obedience is a difficult thing to measure. We can easily become prideful in our obedience or despondent at our inability to fulfill God’s instruction. Take some time to think about Jesus’ perfect obedience in our place, and ask God to help you obey Him with a heart full of love and gratitude for Jesus’ sacrifice.

Scriptures: Romans 12:1-2, Romans 12:9-21

Change

There is need of a great revival of spiritual life, of truly fervent devotion to our Lord Jesus, of entire consecration to His service. It is only in a church in which this spirit of revival has at least begun, that there is any hope of radical change in the relation of the majority of our Christian people to mission work. — Andrew Murray

When Jesus was born into the world, everything changed. Life came to conquer death. And of course, even Jesus Himself experienced some dramatic changes. The son of God took on the weak body of a newborn baby, the awkwardness of puberty, and the aches and pains of adulthood. He allowed His circumstances and His very being to be changed from one of heavenly perfection to one of earthly imperfection. That’s a huge change—bigger than any physical change you or I will ever know. We can’t even fully comprehend what that change must have been like.

The change of the world started with Jesus, and it will also end with Jesus when He comes back to establish a new heaven and a new earth. But our question today is: What will we do in the time between those two mileposts of change?

All throughout Scripture we see that we are called to be like Jesus. We are called to be the difference. And until Jesus returns in glorious fashion, we are called to be the change.

What does that mean?

“Being the change” can be as simple as letting your voice be heard or even being a little louder than you were the day before. We are all at different places in our spiritual journey, but we are all called to be the change—and that’s one thing that won’t ever change. Change, whether your cause is a major social issue or just a desire to see someone in your school or workplace treated better, is something most of us are looking for. But we often hope that someone else will make it happen. Guess what? You are that someone else.

Our culture revolves around maintaining a baseline of comfort. That means change is usually the last thing we want to think about; change is uncomfortable. Although change and newness often results in growth, psychologists know firsthand that millions of people fear change. This fear is known as “neophobia”—yes, it’s a real phobia, and yes, it shows how faithless we really are.

My point: We’re so comfortable with where we are that we ignore openings that might help us get where we’re heading. We all want change, but we’re scared to be the ones to step out and be the change. We can’t expect to look any different than the world while we continue to immerse ourselves in its garbage.

We’ve created an agenda of comfort that keeps us from breaking into the world of “changedom” (yes, I invented that word). If we want change, we need to be the ones to act, to build, to speak up, to start. God hasn’t called us to conform to the patterns of this world but to be transformed through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Challenge:

What are some concrete things in your community that you hope will improve this year? What steps can you take to make that change a reality?

Scripture: Psalms 96

Worship

Without worship, we go about miserable. — A. W. Tozer

Worship is something that at first might seem a bit confusing, but in reality, it isn’t. It is within our human nature to worship something or someone. The Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky (also a Christian) once said, “Man, so long as he remains free, has no more constant and agonizing anxiety than to find as quickly as possible someone to worship.” [1] It’s a fundamental part of what it means to be human—just like eating, drinking, breathing, and sleeping.

The act of worship is a demonstration of respect, honor, or homage toward a certain object or person. Regarding our faith as Christians, our worship is to be directed toward our Lord and Savior. Worship is a time when we pay deep, sincere, awesome respect, love, and fear to the One who created us.

Our worship not only honors and magnifies God but it is also for our own edification and strength. Worship helps us develop God-like and Christlike characteristics. When we worship God, we develop traits such as forgiveness, tenderness, justice, righteousness, purity, kindness, and love. All of these attributes prepare us for eternal life in heaven with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Ultimately, the art of worship is something we cannot truly understand until we take part in it. And although the act of worship might seem conservative and dry, there are many ways to worship our God in heaven. Worship itself is not just an act but a lifestyle in which we can live.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be living sacrifices (a form of worship) to the One above. Worship should cause us to reflect on the majesty and graciousness of God and Christ, contrasted by our own unworthiness.

Challenge:

Worship is more than singing or praying or listening to a sermon. It’s making God your focus in everything you do, from your job to your home and everything in between (Col 3:23–24). How can you worship God throughout your everyday life and not just while you’re at church? 

Scriptures: Jeremiah 29:12, Psalms 116:1-2

Prayer

We tend to use prayer as a last resort, but God wants it to be our first line of defense.— Oswald Chambers

If you grew up praying, you might not think twice about it. But for those who were introduced to prayer later in life, well . . . it can feel a little weird. How can whispering your thoughts out into the air—or just thinking thoughts in your head—allow you to communicate with God? How does this practice lead to any meaningful change?

No doubt, from the outside, prayer seems a little complicated. But in reality, it’s a simple way of communicating with our heavenly Father. Just like any other conversation with someone you love, prayer is an intimate time of communication when we truly get to learn about one another. (That’s right. Prayer isn’t just about you talking to God. It’s also about listening to what God has to say to you.) Although God already knows everything there is to know about us, prayer is given to us as a gift to learn about Him.

Prayer is the life source between us and God. And although today’s culture has turned prayer into nothing more than a nighttime ritual, I believe God is looking for a lot more than that. Paul even went so far as to write in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Never stop praying.” Other translations say, “Pray without ceasing.”

To understand the basics of prayer, we must first unveil the reality of what prayer actually is: a conversation between you and God.

Simple, right? Yet so many of us ignore the opportunity to communicate with God because we feel like we have everything under control, or maybe because we feel like our issues are too small to be bugging the Creator of the universe with. That’s actually the beauty of God. He is big enough to handle the big problems, and He is loving enough to handle the small. Nothing is insignificant in God’s eyes. He comes with open arms and an open heart, yearning for our affection and love.

It is natural for God to want to help us. Why? Because any loving father would want to help his children, no matter the situation.

Don’t get me wrong, prayer is not synonymous with wishes spoken to a magic genie. God is definitely not a bald guy in a magic box. Prayer is your opportunity to wholeheartedly release your life into the hands of the one who created it. It’s a time to open your soul to someone who knows it better than you ever could. And it’s a gateway to gaining a deeper relationship with the one who knows your worth.

Challenge:

Take some extra minutes today to spend time in prayer with God.  If necessary, go to a quieter place—a chair by a window or outside in nature—to get away from distractions that might prevent you from hearing his voice.

Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Matthew 9:35-36

Compassion

Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation. — Henry Ward Beecher

Jesus rose from the dead and freed us from the bondage of our sins. And in doing so, He opened the door for anyone wanting to find a relationship with his Father in heaven. Jesus’ message has never changed. And to anyone who has never felt the warmth of compassion, His voice is calling out, wherever you might be.

Jesus’ great desire is that you would come to Him with all your faults, all your cares, and all your struggles. He doesn’t seek to harshly judge you but to gracefully and compassionately help you. He wishes to take hold of your pain and shower you with unfathomable love and grace.

He speaks with a voice of compassion and understanding. He will lift you from the lowest of lows and bring light to your darkened soul. He died for all your mistakes, and He brings healing to all of your wounds.

The word “compassion” comes from a Latin word that means “co-suffering.” It isn’t merely “feeling sorry for someone” or “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.” No, having compassion means coming alongside someone and taking on his or her suffering with the hope of alleviating it. Jesus offers us true compassion—one of the highest expressions of love and care.

Open your heart to Him. Trust Him with your pain and sorrow. To the hurting and lonely He brings comfort. Jesus personally took upon Himself the grief of all people. He took our sicknesses and burdens, and He carried our sorrows upon His back. He proved Himself a true brother of love and character. 

I think this can never be said too often: Jesus’ love, compassion, mercy, and grace are fully and totally available to you. Yes, you. No special requirements. No restrictions. Not a limited-time offer. He gives these things freely to you. He only wants you to love Him back and share His love and compassion with others.

Challenge:

Ask God to help you see this week (1) His compassion for you and (2) someone in need to whom you can show Christlike compassion. 

Scriptures: Psalms 27:13-14, Lamentations 3:25-26

Patience

You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near. — James 5:8

Waiting is something all of us do in life. And while some people like to claim that waiting is a great learning experience, in reality, it feels more like a mental and emotional torture chamber.

If you can’t tell, I dislike waiting. I’ve never been good at it. I’ve always liked to get things done as soon as possible and at a time convenient to my schedule. In my impatience, what I fail to realize is that the fourth fruit of the Spirit is patience (Gal 5:22). Christians are not called to be impatient people. Technically, the more we allow the Spirit to be active in our lives, the more patient we should become.

Over the years, I’ve grasped that life doesn’t revolve around me. Time does not click in parallel to my heart. And what I think, what I’m impatient about, will never be more important than what God already knows. Never in all of history has anyone rushed ahead of God’s plan and experienced an outcome that was better than what God had in store. From time to time it might seem like things turn out well when we plow ahead full-throttle, but whatever reward we find will definitely be empty, shallow, and short-lived in comparison to the thing that God had originally mapped out for us.

Don’t expect anything truly valuable to come out of a speedy process. I’m not saying it can’t happen—but realistically, it won’t. In fact, Scripture promotes this (James 5:7–11).

Life is a waiting room, and patience is key for appreciating the experience. Don’t be in a rush to move forward when God might want you right where you’re standing. Waiting rooms are only temporary. The benefit of patiently following God’s plan for your life is eternal.

Challenge:

Pay attention this week to moments you feel impatience surfacing. Memorize Proverbs 21:5 so when this happens you can recite it and pray for God to give you the blessing of patience. 

Scripture: Psalms 16:11

Joy

Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God. — Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Have you ever looked at the face of someone who just scored a winning touchdown, won first place at a competition, or just won the grand prize on a game show? Well if you have, you’ve noticed they look pretty happy. But I want you to realize that not one of those things has anything to do with joy.

Why?

Because joy isn’t a product of something you have your hand in. Joy is not affected by what we can do in our own strength. And joy is not something this world can truly offer us in the first place.

Most of us in today’s world have mistaken happiness for joy. But if we unveil the truth behind what joy in Christ is, it is something eternal and unshakable.

What would happen if the man who scored the winning touchdown didn’t get both feet on the field before the catch? What would happen if you took away the first place medal? And what would happen if the game show contestant had lost instead of won? Would those people be robbed of their joy? Nope, because true joy cannot be taken away or affected by circumstances that surround us.

Joy is eternal. Joy cannot be shaken. Joy cannot be earned.

I only know of one thing that’s eternal, unshakable, and unearned: life in Christ. No matter how much we achieve, accumulate, build, and create, all of those things eventually turn to dust. Jesus is the one thing that remains.

There’s a famous poem called “Ozymandias” by the English Romantic Poet Percy Bysshe Shelley; it highlights the futility of looking for satisfaction in things of the world. In the poem, a traveler comes across two giant stone legs in the desert. Next to the legs is the shattered head of the statue and a pedestal with the ironic inscription, “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:/Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” This once great king’s statue is now nothing more than a few crumbled shards. And his kingdom—likely once lush and green—is now a desert. Nothing remains.

Jesus is the one and only constant, the one and only source of true joy and fulfillment we can count on. Imagine a world built on joy and not the satisfaction of temporal happiness. Imagine if people found joy in simply living and weren’t desperately searching for happiness by trying to make a living.

Challenge:

Spend time thinking or journaling about the difference between happiness and joy and whether true joy can be found outside of Jesus. What changes do you need to make in your life this year to prioritize true, lasting joy?

Scriptures: Colossians 3:1-4, 1 Peter 2:9-10

Identity

Gathering your self-worth externally is kind of like trying to fill up a lake with a Dixie cup. It’s just never enough. That’s why it’s so addictive. — Pete Wilson, in his book Empty Promises

Usually when someone wants to get to know a person they’ve just met, they ask these three questions:

1. What’s your name?
2. What do you do?
3. Where are you from?

And although there is nothing wrong with asking these things, I believe our identities as Christians are to be built on a lot more than what can be answered in three shallow questions.

If we were to truly evaluate our lives, we’d all be surprised as to where we seek most of our identity. All you have to do is look to see where your time goes. I’m not saying we do it on purpose, but many of us might be astonished to realize we’re seeking our worth in the world around us and not in the Savior who wants to breathe life into our hearts.

At the end of the day, the world can never offer anything remotely close to the worth and purpose of Jesus Christ. 

You can’t find worth in a world built on worthless values—it’s simply impossible. What people say has no power against what God already knows. Our worth is found in God, and our identity is found in His love. The moment you really “get” this is one of the most liberating moments of your life. You don’t have to keep fighting an uphill battle with the world that you’ll never win. You can finally rest because your identity is in Christ—not determined by anything you do on your own.

You are uniquely made, destined for greatness, and have been set apart from the beginning of time (Jer 1:5). While the world around you tries to fit you into the box of conformity, remember that God is yearning for you to break that mold and be the change (Rom 12:2).

Your true identity is found in Him who created you, not in the world that tries to manipulate you.

Challenge:

Spend time thinking about this question: Have you ever sought identity in something other than Jesus? 

Scriptures: John 1:14-17, John 14:6, Psalms 41:4-5

Truth

To secure one’s freedom, the Christian must experience God’s light, which is God’s truth. — Watchman Nee

Our world has this crazy notion that once we seek God, everything will be hassle-free. Now don’t get me wrong, having Jesus in our lives makes a world of a difference. But don’t be surprised if you hit obstacles the second you start to truly seek after God’s heart. 

There are two things I know about Satan:

1. He doesn’t want me to be in a relationship with God.
2. He will do everything he can to distract me from the truth.

Looking back at my past, I realize how many times I let Satan get in the way of my relationship with God. The sad part is, I always allowed it to happen when things were beginning to look bright. (This is one reason why understanding our last word, “identity,” is so important!)

Satan will do everything he can to distract us from the truth because the truth of God is Satan’s weakness. The truth of God is found in His Word (the Bible). And if we aren’t willing to build upon that truth, then we aren’t willing to accept the love and hope He has to offer. Our lives should be so saturated with the love of God that we constantly yearn to read more, pray more, and praise more.

The truth of God is that all things must pass [away] except the things that are of Him. In other words, God is the truth, and anything that is not of God will not be left standing in the end. Truth is not defined by our own subjective standards; it is determined objectively by the source of truth Himself.

Ultimately, Jesus is not a concept or an idea; He is an eternal and unchanging truth. We might be free to reject a number of traditions, customs, and beliefs. However, we cannot make facts go away by ignoring their irrefutable truth. Whether we choose to believe, the fact remains that Jesus is Lord over all—believers and unbelievers alike.

Satan will try to distract you the second God’s truth starts to attract you. Stand strong. Be courageous. Have faith. He is our foundation. He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

Challenge:

Journal about what God’s truth means to you. Then, share with one person this week how God’s truth has changed your life.

Scripture: 1 John 4:19

Love

We should be astonished at the goodness of God, stunned that He should bother to call us by name, our mouths wide open at His love, bewildered that, at this very moment, we are standing on holy ground. ― Brennan Manning

First Corinthians 13:4–7 tells us:

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Love is the foundation that God has called us to construct our lives upon. After all, if we follow Jesus, perfect love already is the foundation of our lives. But we aren’t just called to love our Lord Jesus Christ. Second and “equally important,” says Jesus, is to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31).

I know what some of you are thinking: “But you haven’t met my neighbors, they’re crazy!” Or “But sometimes I just have a bad day. What then?” Although loving others might be hard to do sometimes, we need to remember that Jesus’ statement to love isn’t a request; it’s a command.

Ask yourself how you can be a representation of God’s love today. When God desired to show us His love, He sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins (John 3:16). What an incredible act of service, selflessness, and sacrifice—all done to show a real and tangible representation of the invisible God. (It was actually the ultimate act. In John 15:13, Jesus tells us, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”)

Love without sacrifice isn’t really love in the first place; it’s kindness. The greatest example of true sacrificial love can be found in the blood of Jesus Christ. That’s not just “kindness” or “being nice.” Jesus’ sacrificial love was and is the most important act of all time. Nothing else compares. His love spares us from a life separated from God, and it opens us up to eternal life spent resting in His perfection. Be an example of love, and let those around you know how much you really care.

Challenge:

Be honest with yourself in answering these questions: Are you loving others the way Jesus loves you? What steps can you take to be a visible, tangible, and reflective image of God’s love this year?

Scriptures: Jeremiah 29:11, Isaiah 40:28-31

Hope

Thanks be to God, there is hope today; this very hour you can choose Him and serve him. — D. L. Moody

Have you ever felt hopeless, worthless, or just downright useless? I believe we all have those days, months, or even years when we feel like we are nothing but a shadow in a world of color—like our existence is meaningless, or that the day of our birth was a catastrophic mistake in the space-time continuum.

And while all of those things might feel very real to you, I’m here to tell you that they’re wrong. In fact, they’re straight-up lies. And that’s not just my opinion.

Jeremiah 1:5 states, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” Did you catch that? God knew you before He formed you in your mother’s womb. He knew you before you were born. And on top of that, He set you apart from the beginning of time to be someone of substantial worth in His name. . . . 

God is the author of all hope. Hope brightens the darkened soul; it breaks the slave’s chains; it sustains those in spiritual exile and comforts those in a place of suffering. When our hope is in God, our spirits cannot be crushed.

The apostle Paul is an amazing example of this enduring Christian hope. He wrote letters of hope and encouragement to churches all over . . . from prison. Alone and in chains, Paul had so much hope from the Holy Spirit that he felt compelled to put pen to paper and share it with everyone else! I don’t know of anything else in the world that can give someone in such bad circumstances a powerful sense of hope.

This year is the year to focus on the hope that God has purposed for your life, a year to break away from Satan’s lies and realize you are intended for a life with God. Don’t let people’s opinions interfere with God’s directions for you.

Will this mean things are going to be perfect? No. But this does mean that you have someone in your life who gives you worth, acceptance, and love.

Challenge: 

Discuss the hope of your Savior with someone who has yet to know it, and encourage him or her to personally discover the wonder of God’s love.