Daily Devotional for January 1, 2015

2 Peter 2:1
But there were false prophets, too, in those days, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly tell their lies about God, turning against even their Master who bought them; but theirs will be a swift and terrible end.
 
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
 
Happy New Year!  Today, we start with a “clean slate” as we welcome a new year…365 days of endless possibilities!  Try as some might, no one can truly predict what will happen in the coming year.  We really cannot accurately predict what type of weather we will have…how the economy will do or what the price of gas will be at the pump…or who will win the Final Four, the World Series, or the BCS Championship!  But that will not stop many from trying. And sadly, more than a few will try to tell us that “the end is near”…that Jesus is returning and that there are “signs and symbols” which we must heed.
 
Here’s how I see it.  When I leave this earth, I know where I am headed.  I am not in any hurry to depart…but I am also not the least bit afraid of dying.  I understand that there is work to be done…that there are souls yet to be saved…and that “the clock is ticking.”  But the Bible clearly tells us we do not know the hour when Jesus will return.  Even clearer is our mission in the meantime.  We have been charged with telling others the Good News of Jesus Christ …and with emulating Him as much as we possibly can.  If we are doing these two things, God will handle the rest.
 
Let’s make this the year that we stop listening to those false prophets and the people who want to scare us half to death…about death AND the return of Jesus.  Let’s live every day like it may be our last (because that is very much a possibility)…and let’s fully represent Jesus in every breath we take.
 
Let’s make 2015 a year in which we can say that we served God with faith and fullness of heart, mind, body and soul.  It’s a new day…and a new year…a gift that God has given each of us. What will you do with yours?
 
©2015 Debbie Robus