As we approach the end of one year and the beginning of a new I am reminded of Jesus words in Revelation 22:13, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” He is like the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet which “bookends” everything in between! If you begin the New Year with Him and make Him the center of your life He will be with you every step through the end! I find it very interesting that just three verses down in the same chapter He also said, “I am…The bright and morning star.” Because of its brightness the planet Venus is known as the morning star, being the last to disappear from view before the rising of the sun, and so it is the harbinger of a new day! He was there at the beginning proclaiming the new day at creation, John 1:1-5; Genesis 1:1-5, the perfection of which was messed up by man’s contract of sin with Satan! And oh, get this! The planet Venus is also known as the evening star because of its brightness being the first to appear as the sun sets announcing the end of the day! While the Bible does not talk about the evening star, Jesus also fills that role as in the New Testament He comes proclaiming the end of the old day in which sin entered the world and the beginning of a new day of grace and forgiveness for all that repent, the day in which we now live, Matthew 4:17, the new superseding the old as in the making of a new will or covenant. And still one more time He will proclaim the end of day and the beginning of another, a new final and eternal day; in Revelation 21:5 God says “…Behold, I make all things new…” (The Father is speaking but Jesus is the harbinger of that day and is with God as at the beginning in Genesis)! The bliss of that new day will be fabulous for those whose trust is in Him now! I beg you cast your lot with Him today.
Thoughts for the coming year
By Rose Hill (read as Jesus speaking)
You are My temple, in you I dwell,
With My life in you all will be well.
When you are filled with My presence within,
My Blood is cleansing from all your sin.
I build you up and Make you strong,
Wherever you go I’ll be along.
When you’re filled with Me you will have peace,
From fear and distress have great release.
To be filled with Me is to be filled with love,
What a great blessing from above.
Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version copyright …1982 by Thomas Nelson Co. used by permission.