2 Cor. 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 

The New Year is just hours away. As I write this last devotional of 2022, I wonder how many people are still considering a New Year’s resolution? It would be interesting to know the statistics of how many resolutions are still intact within a month, a quarter, or even a year. As I ponder the verse above, I am reminded that, as humans, we are always searching, looking for the next best thing, the next best fix, and the next best…  And yet, that next thing never satisfies. We always move on, searching, and wanting more.

We search because we were created with a spiritual void in our hearts.  A void that can only be filled when we reach out to Christ. Yet God’s Word tells us over and over that we have all that we need, right now. Romans 10:9 ...  “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Human nature causes us to wander in all directions looking for satisfaction. Because of sin in this world, our eyes are blinded to truth. We look to the world to fill the void, yet there is nothing in this world that will ever lead to lasting fulfillment. Searching for “religion” will not fill this void. Only when we recognize and accept the invitation of relationship from our Heavenly Father will we find true satisfaction. In the search, one wonders if they have done enough, are they good enough to be called a child of God?

A few months ago Chuck and I were sharing with a neighbor about a new ministry opportunity in Africa. In all earnestness, this dear man replied that surely the work we were doing would earn our way to heaven. We were both taken back. We tried to respond with kindness, stating that no person can work their way to heaven. Romans 3:10-11, “as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.”  Salvation is God’s work. Even though we are unworthy, God in his love and mercy has granted us kinship through the blood of the Lamb, His son.  Eph 2:5-6 ..” even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”  Eph. 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  I’m so thankful that salvation is not based on human feats or human standards. Instead, God’s word declares that salvation is based solely on grace.  This promise, this certainty, is beautifully expressed in the song, Grace Greater Than All Our Sin.

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, 

Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,

Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured, 

There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that is greater than all our sin.

As we exit 2022 and enter the new year of 2023, we can accept His gift of grace and experience peace in our hearts. God of Grace, in his love and mercy, calls us to Him. Phil 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” In his book, The Joshua Code, O. S. Hawkins states, “Salvation is, from start to finish, from first to last, the work of God Himself in us. He sought us. He found us. He began the good work in us. He keeps us. And one day He will present us faultless before His Father’s throne.” (Hawkins, 2012).

Dear Father, We come to you thankful that in your mercy and grace you have invited us into a relationship with you, God of creation. We thank you, Yahweh Shalom, the LORD is Peace, that through your son, we can find spiritual rest and satisfaction. As we close out the Christmas season of 2022 may we be reminded of your gift to us, the babe in a manger. God incarnate, fully God, fully man, King of Kings, leaving the realm and throne of heaven to instead provide salvation to mankind. Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  Father, we thank you for your peace. We thank you for your grace. That Grace is a Person, and His name is Jesus.   Amen