John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

There is a show called The Walking Dead, I have never seen that show. I don’t care to see it because I am afraid I just might see myself in the show. For years I was a walking dead man and didn’t know it. I was dead inside and nothing touched me.

When I made Jesus the Lord of my life I came alive. What experience as a dead man walking could I draw on to help me lead this new life? Nothing, the old dead man had nothing to teach me about this life in Christ. Everything became new. Guess what new comes with? No experience in use. I was the walking dead, what did I know about walking in the spirit? Nothing, I needed to be taught.

John 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

I can relate to Peter here. Nothing else worked for me. Having studied other disciplines, I had not found any words that made me alive and they failed me then. But the words Jesus spoke awakened my legs and gave me this awakening, this quickening that animated what was once dead in me. No one else could do that.

Sadly these two great lines which hold great meaning for me surround a very sad truth, one that haunts me at the ease that people can see the truth, can hear the truth and are not moved by it.

John 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

How can anyone see Christ, hear Christ and not make Him the Lord of Life?

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

While we do not know the actual date of Christ’s birth, perhaps it is a good thing that we celebrate that memory a week before the New Year. When Christ comes into our lives, all things become new. It is this week that we ponder the past year in review, remembering those who have passed on during this year.

This new life in Christ has the promise of a hope which we can look forward to discovering.

2 Corinthians 3:11:12a For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. Seeing then that we have such hope, …

In honesty we left a life we thought at one time to be good but having come to a knowledge of who Christ is and all that He has done for us, left that life behind. We choose to do that for the hope of glory to come. Not that we possess it instantly, but are possessed by it and have a hope that it will shine forth, maybe not today, but soon.

Matthew 13:43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Granted this year did not bring me the full promise, but the hope is still within me because some of that hope has been made known this year.

Psalm 27:13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

2 Corinthians 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

His word has been true.