WHAT DO I WANT FOR 2015?
What do I want most for 2015? If I were making wishes, I could wish for better health, which sometimes fails me. Like everyone I could wish for more money and the things that it buys. I could wish for a 60s muscle car that has lots of power and makes lots of noise. But these and other things seem kind of petty when I remember that I belong to the kingdom of God, I am a child of the King.
The one thing that I desire in the new year is to see churches remember who they are. I want to see authentic Christians who are willing to turn from the world and live daily as followers of Christ.
I am going to meddle a little. I see way too many Christians talking about their favorite sports team and not enough about the work of Christ. I see too many Christians dressing in the latest fashion instead of being clothed in the righteousness of God. I see too many Christians who are not conformed to the character of Christ and show no evidence of Christ in their daily lives. If you were to put them in a police lineup and let someone pick out the Christian, I doubt it could be done.
I would like to see Christians live in the planned community that God provided for us called the Church. This is one planned community that has no walls and no gates. I would like to see a place where, when someone asks, how are you, they really mean it because they really care about the welfare of their brother or sister in Christ. I would like to see that community of believers who love each other the way Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. I would love to see the church bear one another’s burdens, cry with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice.
I would love to see Christians who love Christ so much that they will share him with their neighbors and friends.
I am certain that with this kind of recovery of Christianity, we would see a different world. I have no illusion that we can make the world heaven on earth. In fact this world is destined to die. But we can man the lifeboats and gather as many as we can to safety. In doing all of these things, we anticipate, we live expectantly for the world that is promised to us, the world that is to come.
