Ending the Year
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18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
As we look back on the 2021 and look toward 2022 I want to encourage everyone to not only memorize this verse, but to use it everyday of your life. For if we are to become better we must, as Paul tells us, stand gazing at the character image of Christ.
If we are to become anything better should not be our goal. We should, in every aspect strive to become Christ-Like.
Paul tells us that we are to transformed into Christ going from glory to glory. In otherwords, Just like Jesus we need to grow in wisdom and statue with both God and man.
The mirror is a symbol of God’s word. Knowing that everything we understand about Christ
So here are some Characteristics I know I need to strive for on 2022.
1) Perseverance of Christ in the face of affliction.
to preserver I have found that I
Must have a vision for the end
I find that people who quit anything never had a grasp of the end goal. Christ Knew the end goal. He knew the benefits of the end goal. He knew what he was striving for.
42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
We see that Christ had the desire not to suffer, he was human. We all desire to not suffer. We all desire easy. But when things get hard we must know what we signed up. It’s the knowledge, belief and desire for His people that compelled Christ to finish strong.
2) Energy and Strength in the face of life’s pressures
43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.
44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Simply put we need energy and strength to pray when the pressure of life wants to hold us down.
There’s the country song when going through hell. I have repeated the lyrics time and time again
When we on our knees so long we might as well be praying
If life is pushing you down pray while you’re there.
3) we need the Stability of Christ
45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow,
46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
Even when every one else crumbled Christ was stable. He knew the mission and he knew prayer was central to the completion of the mission. He stood before God and is able to stand when we are too weak to even stay awake.
We must be this to the world. We must be willing to stand and pray while they are deep in sin and asleep.
The bible makes the parellel, and I believe in this case it’s true as well, those who truly know Jesus being awake and those who do not being asleep.
Christins are the truly “woke” crowd. We are the stability that in this world and Christ is the Stability in Christians.
4) We need His Wisdom
47 While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him,
Jesus wasn’t caught off guard. Far too often Christians seem to be caught off guard. While cannot know the future we serve the God who does. He told Judas to go and do what he was supposed to do. It didn’t surprise himWhen Judas showed up.
If we are tapped into Christ, reading and praying, we are tapped into his wisdom.
7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.
The decree is the word of God. Given to us to give us wisdom and knowledge needed to carry out the plans he has given us. But like most men on christmas morning. We threw out the instructions and we don’t know how to put the pieces together.
5)We need assurance of his sovereign authority.
47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.