Tomorrow is the beginning of a new year. What does 2025 hold in store for us? Given the activity of 2024 I can say that the climate for Christians is going to dramatically get worse. But the thing about that statement is that for Christians in many parts of our world it couldn’t get much worse. So a better question for us to ask would be, what can I do with this coming year?

As far as Christianity goes China is considered to be one of the most oppressive, restrictive, persecuting nations in the world and within the borders of that anti-Christian country lives a lady whose life bears testimony to what one Christian can do with one year. I heard this from her friend.

This Chinese Christian lady went to her doctor for a checkup and was told she had only one year to live. She immediately asked herself, “What can I possibly do for the Lord in one year?” Here’s what happened:

In the course of the next three months she led fifty people to Christ. She goes to a Christian leader and tells him what has happened. She said, “I don’t know what to do with fifty new Christians”, her friend told her to start a house church and she did which, by the way, is illegal in China. In one year this lady started five house churches. Now her one year is up and she’s still alive and well. She goes to another doctor and tells him that one year ago she was told she had one year to live and here she is still very much alive. This doctor sends her to the hospital for tests and she is told there is nothing wrong, that she is fine. In thanksgiving she tells the Lord, “I gave you one year, now the rest of my life is yours.”

The striking note of her testimony was she never ask for healing, she never questioned why me? Why did this have to happen but rather what can I do for the Lord in one year.

What can we do with this coming year? Jesus gave us the answer: “He said therefore, a certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.” Luke 19:12-13

Occupy means to employ, busy or engage oneself, one’s mind, one’s attention, one’s heart to the Lord’s work. If we would choose to follow this lady’s testimony there would need to be a certain foundation laid in our lives which is simple but absolutely necessary.

We must be born again. The only way we can acceptably serve the Lord is with a new heart. There is no good thing living in our old heart. When we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, God gives us a new heart. John 1:12-13

This new heart then is to find its delight in doing the will of the Father. Pleasing Him is simple and pleasant: “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” Heb 13:15

One more thing: the Bible is God’s word; decide to prayerfully read through your Bible this year, from cover to cover. If you do, you will be occupying your mind with God’s thoughts, you will be feeding on His promises and faithfulness, you will be warming yourself by the fires of His love, and in so doing you will grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord. Inevitably, being a witness for Jesus will become your chief occupation.

How will you occupy 2025? Happy New Year! Brother Bill

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