-          Psalm 90:12

I’m not a big one for New Year’s resolutions – although, see next week’s ViewPoint series, “Resolved!” – but I do find the first of the year to be useful time for reflecting and planning.

The Christian lives like the ancient Roman god Janus, for whom the month of January is named. Janus had two faces, and the Christian lives out of two faces at one and the same time.

…in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself…
-        2 Corinthians 5:19

Chuck Colson was fond of quoting Abraham Kuyper on the sovereignty of Jesus Christ and the grand scope of the redemption he accomplished.

In a speech opening the doors of the Free University of Amsterdam in 1880, the pastor, journalist, theologian and educator—who would become Prime Minister of The Netherlands—declared, “Oh, no single piece of our mental world is to be hermetically sealed off from the rest, and there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’”

“He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” Luke 1:54, 55

Mary understood full well the meaning of Christmas.

In the Magnificat the mother of our Lord declares her extraordinary insight to and understanding of that which was about to take place in and through her. God, she knew, was soon to bring all the glorious promises made to Abraham to fulfillment – for both Israel and all nations, all who are the “offspring” of Abraham.

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature… Hebrews 1:3

Christmas is all about communications.

Every Christmas greeting, card, or gift says something. These are all special ways that we communicate love to perfect strangers as well as to the people who matter most in our lives.

Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. Ephesians 5:4 

The Bible has a lot to say about how we use our tongues. 

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus.

The Christian must never lose sight of his goal in life.