We’re Alive In 2025
1. God Is Still In Control
2. Looking Unto Jesus
3. God’s Purpose
4. Sometimes I Need To Just Be Still
5. Where To Begin?
6. Should You Follow Your Heart?
7. Sometimes The Heartache Doesn’t Show
8. What To Ask For In The New Year
9. A New Journal For A New Year
10. I Can Pray
11. Gathered Together In Prayer
12. I Will Praise The Lord As Long As I Live
1. God Is Still In Control
Sometime around 1975, while I was in high school, we had to read “1984” that George Orwell had written in 1949. Class discussions pushed us to believe that by the year 1984 we would lose our freedom to think, and live individually, and be constantly watched and controlled by Big Brother. 1984 came and went. In 1999 I was working at a bank and the year was spent in anxiety as the IT people worked to make the computers capable to go forward into the year 2000. Computers had been programmed to work until 1999 and Y2K brought real fear that the network would crash, and lose all the stored information. January 1, 2000 came, and thanks to all the programmers, the computers kept computing. It is hard to believe that we are entering the year 2025. Many have come through battles, storms, and sicknesses and we are the ones who survived. In just the last few years God brought me through Covid Pneumonia and sepsis, cancer and chemo, and more recently 12 days and 2 hospital stays with AFIB. I don’t know what lies ahead in 2025, but I do know that my God is in control, and I want to live my life in accordance with His purpose. Let’s look unto Lord and find some verses that will help us through this year. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
2. Looking Unto Jesus
A good place to begin the year is found in Hebrews 12:1-2. “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 11 describes the faith of men and women in the Bible and these could be in the great cloud of witnesses. Maybe our loved ones who have gone on to heaven have a glimpse of our Christian journey. I think most importantly, we should consider the ones who are watching us as we live today in 2025. Part of our purpose in living for the Lord is being a witness to those who are watching us. God’s Word encourages us to lay aside doubts, and fears, and pride, and not be ashamed to follow the Lord. We are told to turn away from sin and turn towards Christ Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith.” Let’s purpose in our heart to begin 2025 with Him, and finish 2025 with Him.
3. God’s Purpose
I liked science in school. I remember studying “Cause and Effect”. My mind seems to look for causes and effects in my life. I over-think things that I plan to do, looking for any possible thing that might go wrong. And when something does seem to be going in a difficult path, I search for anything I could have done to cause it. When I had cancer, I asked the doctor what I did to cause the cancer. He assured me that it was nothing I had done. Being in a hospital bed with AFIB gave me plenty of time to do some soul searching. I prayed the thoughts of Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” We have been through some difficult times the last few years. But, the Lord has been with us all the way. And we are not the only ones. I know several who are going through some really tough times right now. Sometimes we want to know, “Why?” I don’t usually understand the cause, or the “Why?”, but I do know that my God loves me and that He is in control. I have scriptures to help me when I don’t understand. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) We can also find comfort in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” God let me live to see another year, so I believe that He still has a purpose for my life. I pray that I can live for the Lord, and be used according to His purpose.
4. Sometimes I Need To Just Be Still
I have not made any New Year’s resolutions, but I am trying to think of things that I need to improve on. The first one that I want to confess is that I often speak before I think. I feel so bad when I hurt someone’s feelings. I need to take time and be still before I blurt something out, that I regret saying. Another thing that comes to mind is sometimes I murmur or complain about things and I shouldn’t. God reminds us to be still in Psalms 46:10. “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” I feel that this is usually regarded as making our whole mind, and body to become quiet and still, putting everything else aside so that we can put our focus on God. Sometimes I need to just “be still”, as in, keep my mouth shut. I pray that God will help me think before I speak and help me to be still when I need to be. Another verse that will help me to remember is found in James 1:19, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:” Someone once said that God gave us two ears to hear and one mouth to speak so that we would listen twice as much as we speak.
5. Where To Begin?
It was wonderful to be able to go to church Wednesday night, after missing the last two Sundays while I was in the hospital with AFIB. Pastor Rick Byerly had a wonderful sermon on “Where To Begin?” Notice how the word, “begin”, is used in these two verses. “Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle. This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.” (Deuteronomy 2:24-25) In answer to the question, we are to begin right where we are. When the Lord tells us to do something, we are not to wait until we get more money, or wait until the situation gets better, or wait until… any number of things. God told the Israelites to “begin to possess” the land. Then God said, “This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations…” We are to begin, start, what He tell us to do and then He will begin to work. As we begin the New Year, let’s remember to begin the work that the Lord wants us to do and then we can look for Him to begin a work in our lives.
6. Should You Follow Your Heart?
A prominent theme in the Christmas movies is to follow your heart. So, today I am asking the question, “Should you follow your heart?” Let’s see what God’s Word says about following your heart.
“7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” (Jeremiah 17:7-10)
When I get bad news my heart tells me to get upset, but I need to trust the Lord. Things happen in our lives that we can’t control. We can get discouraged and become downhearted. I need to look beyond how I feel in my heart, and put all my trust in the Lord. He is in control and He knows what is best for us. I need to remember Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” This is a great verse to follow in the New Year.
7. Sometimes The Heartache Doesn’t Show
This came up on my memories and I want to share today…
One day I went to pour Lici a cup of juice and set the carton from the refrigerator on the counter beside the empty carton. As I reached for a cup, Elsa said, “I know which one has juice in it.” I asked her how she knew and she pointed to the newer one and replied, “It’s the heavy one.” She was right. Both juice cartons looked the same, but only the heavy one had juice in it, and you could only tell by lifting it. We can’t always tell how heavy a burden someone is carrying. We can’t look at someone and know how great their troubles and trials are. Friends that you know at church, or at work, may look like everything is okay, even though their hearts are heavy from the load they bear. We can get dressed up and fix our hair to go to church and nobody knows how much we are hurting. My thoughts today are simple. First of all, be kind. You can’t see what load someone is struggling to carry, and you don’t know how heavy the heart is of others. They may be carrying burdens too personal to share. Or, maybe they have carried the burden so long they now feel empty and worthless, or useless. Be kind. “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32) The second thought is for those who are carrying those heavy burdens. You can go to Jesus with your burdens. “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (I Peter 5:7) “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3) If you feel empty, and you are searching for hope and a meaning for life, turn to Jesus. “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10) “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10) Jesus knows your heart, and He sees the load you bear.
8. What To Ask For In The New Year
Pastor Rick Byerly had another good sermon on Sunday on, What to ask for in the New Year. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8 ) “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” (James 4:3) We are not to ask for things in greed. First, we should ask to see. We need to see what the Lord wants us to see and do for His glory. We need to see how we can help others. Next, we should ask to feel. Do we feel the needs of others? And in closing, we need to ask for a desire to do. We can pray that the Lord will give us a desire to do His will. It was a great sermon on how we can pray and make a difference in the New Year.
9. A New Journal For A New Year
I have been keeping a journal for many, many years. I like to start a new one with the New Year. One year someone gave me a Gratitude Journal that was all about being thankful. Two years ago my sister gave me one for Christmas and the cover said, “Faith Can Move Mountains.” As I thought about beginning that journal, I wondered what kind of mountains I would be writing about. A week or so later, I was in the hospital for cancer surgery. Going through chemo was the hardest mountain I ever faced. This year, another sister gave me one that says, “Things I Need To Write Down Because I’m Old And I Forget Stuff.” I may laugh about it on the outside, but I know the reality on the inside. For several years I kept a devotional journal. I jotted down verses that I wanted to remember as I read through the Bible. I also wrote down questions I had while reading. When I was reading through Exodus I wondered why Aaron didn’t die with the 3,000 that died, when he made the golden calf. I wrote down the question and I found the answer when I came to the book of Deuteronomy. “And the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him: and I prayed for Aaron also the same time.” (Deuteronomy 9:20) Keeping the devotional journals helped me learn and understand more in my daily Bible reading. Writing things down does help us remember more. We write grocery lists, appointments on calendars, and make lists of things to do. If you want to learn more about what God says in His Word, I highly recommend keeping a devotional journal. Meditating on God’s Word can help us have a prosperous year.
“1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” (Psalm 1:1-6)
10. I Can Pray
It is troubling to see so many people in need. I have never known so many with cancer, and other health issues. I’m not a doctor and I can’t advise them on what to do. I can’t ease their pain. I can’t give them mental relief. I can’t do any of these things, but I serve a God who can! I can show them I care. And most of all, I can pray. Does prayer help? It certainly does! “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16) When can we pray? Jesus taught that we are to pray always, and not give up. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;” (Luke 18:1) Does the Lord hear and answer our pray? Yes, He has promised in His Word. “Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name; Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” (Jeremiah 33:2-3) We are to pray to God the Father, though His Son, Jesus Christ. What about times when we don’t know what to pray? “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Romans 8:26) Jesus also makes intercession for us. “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” (Romans 8:34) Prayer can change your life. You can begin by trusting Jesus to save you and confessing your sin to Him. Everyone will one day confess to Jesus. “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” (Romans 14:11) Please pray to Jesus to save you now, before it is too late. “Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” (Hebrews 4:7)
11. Gathered Together In Prayer
Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20) We can’t all gather together in one place, but I would like for us to gather together in prayer today for those affected by the fires in California. So many have lost their homes. The fire fighters are fighting against the fires, and some are losing ground because of the strong winds. Let’s pray for California. Pray that souls will turn to God and call on Jesus in this time of devastation.
12. I Will Praise The Lord As Long As I Live
I was thinking about writing one more devotional to carry with us in the New Year and I thought about the book of Psalms being the longest book in the Bible. The common thread among the Psalms is praising the Lord. We are encouraged to not only praise God today, but we are to praise Him as long as we live. “I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.” (Psalm 104:33) We are to praise Him with our whole heart. “I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.” (Psalm 9:1) We are to praise Him continually. “I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalm 34:1) We praise the Lord for His goodness. “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” (Psalm 106:1) Verses of praise continue through the book and the last verse tells us all to praise the Lord. “Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.” (Psalm 150:6)
