Dear Readers, Friends in Christ Jesus,
Our watch word for the Year of 2021 is taken from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Luke 6: 36, “So be merciful, even as your Father is,” (Amplified Bible). God’s mercy is something that is so foreign to our self-understanding. It is a mercy that deals fairly with each and everyone regardless of one’s merit in receiving this grace. It is a mercy that is new every morning. It is a mercy that promises rain, security and possibilities for everyone to live peacefully. God does not need people to recognize his authority; however, people need to recognize God, in order to truly be able to be merciful.
The watch word for today is taken from the Word of the Lord, in Leviticus 19: 11, “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; and you shall not lie to one another,” (NRSVB).
God has given his laws to the hearts of the people. We find it echoed in the constitutions of nations across the world. The foundations of the laws of God are set up so that people can live in harmony and unity with each other, enjoying peaceful and flourishing lives. God’s rules are for all to obey equally; it is a set of law that must be adhered to by all citizens, in order to live life to the fullest, in fair and equal measure. These laws are not to hamper freedom and lifestyles, but to protect all from accesses that will cause peaceful co-existence to become endangered. God’s call to his own is still the same, “Hear, O (Children): the Lord our God is one Lord, (the only Lord). And you shall love the Lord your God, with all your mind and heart and with your entire being and with all your might,” Deuteronomy 6: 4-5 (Amp). Loving the Lord with all our might could be our New Year’s resolution! For, in loving the Lord, we follow his commandments. “I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you,” John 13:34, (Amp). Jesus’ love is the love that laid his life down for the world he came to save. Because of Jesus’ love, we are able to love our neighbour in a manner that allows us to put their needs above our own. We are able to give things up willingly, for the greater good of humanity, for the harmonious and peaceful living of the nations on this earth.
The application verse, or doctrinal verse, as it is also called, is taken from I Peter 3: 8-9, “Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called- that you might inherit a blessing.” The apostle Peter gives us practical advice of what this love looks like. Unity means peace among each other, the peace of the Lord. Sympathy means that not only can we put ourselves in somebody else’s shoes, we can also give them shoes, even our own, and carry their load. A tender heart shows tears; as Jesus did, over the pain and sorrow of a lost world. A humble mind does not elevate its thoughts and thinking above that of the Word of God. It is difficult to turn the other cheek, walk the other mile! But, through Jesus’ love reigning in us, it is not impossible, it actually becomes our default setting!
May God bless you and yours as we enter into this New Year. God promises blessings to his world and her people. Outward circumstances nonetheless, God is at work for us.
Father God, we come to you as the New Year breaks. We bring to you the year behind us and the year before us. Father, heal our memories of the past. Ignite in us your hope and joy, your peace and love, so that we will be able to love as we ought this year. We thank you for your word, your work and your world. This we ask in the name of our Lord Jesus, Who lives, and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God now and forever, Amen.