Another year has come to an end… Goals were set, some were met, others were missed. With a steely resolve we attacked the 365 days that stood in front of us, although at times it may have seemed like the year fought back. Most everybody has been met with unexpected changes, loss, circumstances, blessings, and undulations we would have never anticipated. A year is a long time, yet it goes by so quickly. As a distance runner, I like to compare one-year to the one-mile run. It’s short in the grand scheme of things, but it’s also not a sprint. It requires a strategic and bold pacing strategy. Run the first 400 meters with everything you have, and you’ll most certainly gas out and miss your mark. Start too slow and risk not reaching what you set out for. It requires the boldness of a strong start, yet the enduring spirit needed for a rewarding finish. Whatever the strategy, know it will be hard at times. No matter where you’re at in life, the start of a new year can be a great time to start the race anew, so to speak... While the end of the year is also a time to reflect on the race you’ve run. Whether that be the past 365 days, or the past decade. I think it’s fair to say that we all look back on the past with some level of regret, but also some level of gratitude and pride for how the time and circumstances have molded us. Or forged us, rather. So, let’s press on, into the new year, knowing we may have some regrets at the end of 2025, but more than that, a reason to be proud of the way that we’ve honored the Lord in the year to come.
What dreams do you have? What do you desire to be different? What changes need to be made? What do you hope for your marriage, for your family, or your job? Most importantly, what will you resolve to do and what disciplines will you put in place to bring the most glory to God in your life? John 17 might feel like a unique place to begin as you prepare to resolve for a new year, but it sets our hearts on some glorious truths we can learn about the heart of Christ.
The race will be ran well, paced perfectly, and fought with boldness if we see what Jesus exemplifies in his prayer, and find satisfaction in his love for us. As you get ready to venture out into the year ahead, discipline your heart and mind with these truths:
1. (17:1-5) Fix your eyes on the glory of God, through Christ. Praise God in gratitude for the atoning work Jesus on the Cross. “We see his love of holiness and his hatred of sin and his refusal to compromise with it. We also see his love of justice in his condemnation of sin, even exercising his wrath upon his Son who bore our sins. Finally, we see God’s love for us in the vast cost he paid for our redemption. If Jesus had stopped short of the cross, that would have proved there is a degree of love to which God is not prepared to go for us. The cross proves there is no limit to God’s love.”[1] Weave this reality into your prayers and it will begin to seep into every crevasse of your life.
2. (17:6-18) God cares for you right where you are at. He desires to meet your deepest need through salvation, and if he cares for our deepest need, the ancillary needs are not too big for him to handle. Pray this year like you know he cares for you. Know that he is with you when things get too heavy for you to handle. God will provide and protect as you take on the hardships of this world. Pray not for removal from your problems, but for endurance through them. Diamonds are created under pressure and gold is refined in the fire. 1 Peter 1:7 – “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
3. (17:19-26) The more you know God, the more you will love God. Pray that God would show himself to you more and more this year. However, don’t stop with prayer. Seek, search, hunt, and find satisfaction in discovering more truth about who God is and what he wants for your life. You won’t be disappointed and your love for him will grow like never before.
Thank God for the past year and press on to the new. Happy New Year!
[1] R. Kent Hughes, John: That You May Believe, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1999), 392–393.
What dreams do you have? What do you desire to be different? What changes need to be made? What do you hope for your marriage, for your family, or your job? Most importantly, what will you resolve to do and what disciplines will you put in place to bring the most glory to God in your life? John 17 might feel like a unique place to begin as you prepare to resolve for a new year, but it sets our hearts on some glorious truths we can learn about the heart of Christ.
The race will be ran well, paced perfectly, and fought with boldness if we see what Jesus exemplifies in his prayer, and find satisfaction in his love for us. As you get ready to venture out into the year ahead, discipline your heart and mind with these truths:
1. (17:1-5) Fix your eyes on the glory of God, through Christ. Praise God in gratitude for the atoning work Jesus on the Cross. “We see his love of holiness and his hatred of sin and his refusal to compromise with it. We also see his love of justice in his condemnation of sin, even exercising his wrath upon his Son who bore our sins. Finally, we see God’s love for us in the vast cost he paid for our redemption. If Jesus had stopped short of the cross, that would have proved there is a degree of love to which God is not prepared to go for us. The cross proves there is no limit to God’s love.”[1] Weave this reality into your prayers and it will begin to seep into every crevasse of your life.
2. (17:6-18) God cares for you right where you are at. He desires to meet your deepest need through salvation, and if he cares for our deepest need, the ancillary needs are not too big for him to handle. Pray this year like you know he cares for you. Know that he is with you when things get too heavy for you to handle. God will provide and protect as you take on the hardships of this world. Pray not for removal from your problems, but for endurance through them. Diamonds are created under pressure and gold is refined in the fire. 1 Peter 1:7 – “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
3. (17:19-26) The more you know God, the more you will love God. Pray that God would show himself to you more and more this year. However, don’t stop with prayer. Seek, search, hunt, and find satisfaction in discovering more truth about who God is and what he wants for your life. You won’t be disappointed and your love for him will grow like never before.
Thank God for the past year and press on to the new. Happy New Year!
[1] R. Kent Hughes, John: That You May Believe, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1999), 392–393.