For His Sake

January 1 Happy New Year!

As we begin a New Year, some may ask people like me who purport ourselves to have wisdom from God, some insight into His heart, exactly what counsel we believe is worthy to extend on this day when so many are making New Year’s resolutions. If there were just one thing we all could do that could transform man, what would it be?

Some might feel the best advice would be to ‘stick to your guns!’ Don’t give place to the enemy in any area of endeavor. Some may believe the wisest counsel would be to seek after truth with a whole heart. Others may be sure that the wisest step forward into the unknown before us is to hold fast to the tried-and-true methods of the past.

And, to a measure, they would all be right. It is important to hold fast to what you believe to be true; some people are sure that employing the practices that have resulted in past successes are those that should be relied upon in the future. But I would suggest another option as a covering for any other method that may be employed toward the end of self-improvement or toward the end of betterment of the world. It is found in John 15:12-14.

Here Jesus says, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. The greatest love a person can give is to lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you.” As with so much that the Lord spoke, this is a hard saying. Not many of us want to think of relinquishing our lives as we go forward into a new year, but our willingness to do that one thing assures that we will love others and be good to ourselves--for His sake.