In our lowest moments, where do we turn? As Christians, we’ll all experience times in life where God has our full attention. Jonah’s prayer from inside the belly of a fish is a picture of what humble submission to God’s plan looks like. In his time of distress, Jonah turned his heart to recognize that only God has the power to deliver us.
The story of Jonah is a picture of God’s mercy as He reveals His plan to reach people who are far from Him. His call to Jonah to bring His message to Ninevah is the same call Jesus gives every single Christian: go and make disciples of all nations. The times when we follow Jonah’s footsteps and run from God’s call, God’s mercy and grace is revealed as He pursues us, using often-miraculous means to transform our hearts to be more like His.
Simply put, Christians are people who follow Jesus Christ. Through his life and teaching, Jesus gave us both a model to follow and incredible words to live by. So how do we make sure that we’re following Jesus well in our day-to-day life? How do we follow Jesus in the midst of our work, family, hobbies, joys and struggles? As we look ahead to a new year, now is the perfect time to commit to following Jesus in every aspect of our lives.
Jesus is a king like no other. He is God Himself, yet humbled himself to be born as a baby. His purpose was to seek and save the lost through sacrificing Himself for our sin and brokenness. And because of His victory over death, we have a hope that can’t be shaken when we recognize Jesus as Lord.
Jesus was born into a world where people with power and influence weren’t interested in a new king. But God’s provision and protection of His Son to fulfill prophecy demonstrates to us that nothing will stop the plan of God from moving forward. When our own priorities and desires start to take the place of God in our lives, God still pursues us through the gift of His Son. He calls each of us to turn from sin and follow Him alone as we patiently await the day when He will come again as Lord of all to make all things new.
Tracing the family tree of Jesus reveals the incredible plan of God playing out across thousands of years. Along the way, we see the reality of humanity on full display including faithfulness, rebellion, obedience and dysfunction. Through it all, we see how God is fully in control, providing a perfect Savior in the most unexpected way: through submission and humility.
In a gloomy and dark world, Jesus Christ is the Promise of hope for salvation. While this was true in the days before Jesus’ birth, it’s true of our time and culture as well. Our world looks to many different things for hope - comfort, technology, or even politics. But the message of the gospel is that true hope is found not in a place or idea, but in a person. Jesus is our promised hope.
The act of baptism is an important symbol of our identity in Christ, but it can be easy to put it off or ignore its significance. Baptism is a central theme in Jesus’ and the Apostles’ teaching and should be a priority for everyone who has been transformed by the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Is it time for you to be baptized?
In the Christian life, nothing is as important as loving God first and above all else. Without a love for God anchoring our lives, our human nature will start to put other things like work, success, pleasure, or relationships in God’s place. Our lives get out of order and things can go off the rails. So how do we make sure our love for God takes priority?
Our study of Romans comes to a close as the Apostle Paul leaves the church with one final encouragement. The gospel is good news revealed by God through Jesus Christ for everyone who believes, and it represents a hope unlike anything our world can offer: a message of grace, truth and the promise of eternal life in Christ. “To the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.”
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