There are only 3 months to go before the year 2010 ends.  This is as the Chinese saying goes, “Time is like a flying arrow.”  Are you on target in meeting the resolutions you set for the year?  As in a marathon, there will be those who drop out and those who finish the race.  In which group are you?  Jesus’ return is near—there will be judgment and rewards on this day.  Hence, we cannot afford to fail.  How can we ensure victory that when we look back on the year 2010, we may say with assurance that it has been a fruitful year, a year that has accomplished work of eternal value?  How should we run life’s race?

Looking to Jesus

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesusthe authorand perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross,scorning its shame,and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”(Heb 12:2).

The life journey of a Christian is marked by the symbol of the cross.  In other words, the lifestyle of a Christian is that of self-denial.  This means that in relating to people, we deny ourselves for others.  During Jesus’ time, when someone carried a cross on the streets, everyone knew that he had been sentenced to death.

Furthermore, along the way as he carried his cross towards death, he would be insulted and jeered at.  In essence, the way of the cross is one which you need to deny your “self.”  For that, you may need to let go of your self-glory, enjoyment or interest for the Lord’s sake.  Hence, “we need to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”  By that, it means that we set Jesus as our example where He “for the joy set before him endured the cross,scorning its shame.”  In other words, the hope of the coming joy enables Jesus to endure the cross.  That which he longs for is praise from God (11:2).  For us, our hope is the eternal rest when we will be free from the toils and labour in this world, when God gives us the eternal blessing and life which we can now enjoy.

Putting God First

We all hope that we will grow spiritually and that we may do something of eternal value for our Lord who loves us.  However, we also face temptations that come from the world, our sinful self, or the trials that come from Satan.  One thing that can displace the Lord’s place in our hearts is the pleasure and worries that come from the world.  There are many things in the world that can rob us of our love for the Lord including our time and energy—we often struggle whether to love the Lord or the world.  This is also a question you must answer today.  It is only when you have decided in your hearts that there is more value in living for the Lord that you will be able to reject the world, deny yourself and live to please God.

Do you believe there is eternity?  The Bible tells us that there is hell and heaven.  Have you believed in Jesus?  If a man gains the whole but loses his soul, what advantage is there?  The things in the world are temporal but your soul lives forever.  When the world passes away, where will you be in eternity?  Believe in Jesus today, accept Him as your Savior, then He will forgive all your sins and give you eternal and abundant life.

Dear Christian, do not, for the love of this temporal world and sin, sadden the Lord who loves you.  Do not lose your everlasting reward.  How hard you work for the Lord now will determine your reward that lasts for eternity.  Today, give your time, your giftedness, your energy and you heart to the Lord.  If you are lagging behind in meeting your resolutions for the year, pick yourself up and press on.  Redeem wasted time.  As long as the Lord gives you breath, let us seize every opportunity to serve the Lord.