“Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Prov. 27:1). 

If ever there was a year to confirm the truth of Proverbs 27:1, it would be 2020.  Who, except God, could have foreseen at the close of 2019 the magnitude of such a difficult year as 2020?  So many are talking about being glad to put 2020 behind them.  However, one is not guaranteed that the year ahead will be less difficult than any other.  How shall the child of God see 2021 from a Biblical perspective?

1.  Seek Spiritual Things.  2020 definitely manifested an upheaval against materialistic thinking.  Unemployment, closures, uncertainty concerning the virus, lockdowns, etc. abounded.  If one’s life in 2020 was centered on things temporal, then disappointment and frustration were a constant presence.  Jesus taught about the true purpose of life and its blessings.  “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matt. 6:33-34).  Life is truly to be lived to be “rich toward God” (Luke 12:21).

2.  Seize Opportunities.  Paul wrote against the background of the first century struggles, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:15-17).  2020 had its opportunities to do good, especially to those who needed encouragement and help.  Every year brings both obstacles and opportunities.  John wrote to Christians in their opportunities to overcome.  “I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one” (1 John 2:13-14).  Victories and virtuous opportunities are always before the eyes of God’s people.  It is simply a matter of seeing the opportunities and seizing the moments.

3.  Secure Oneself in God.  Confidence within the Christian is found only in God.  Paul wrote, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God” (2 Cor. 3:5).  Again, “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:6-8).  One of the psalms points man to his strength in God.  “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God” (Ps. 42:11).  2020 was a year of shaken and disturbing thoughts on many fronts.  It is a blessing to know that the God of all wisdom and power is the solid refuge in any time of trouble (cf. Ps. 46:1).  Whatever 2021 holds, the child of God has optimism because of God.                                                                                             

Jimmy Clark

“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God” (Heb. 11:5). 

There is not much said about the man Enoch, the son of Jared of the line of Seth.  However, his story is a life to be studied.  He is noteworthy of a man of faith who pleased God.  That alone says something of value.  Consider three other lessons from Enoch.

1.  A Godly Progenitor.  The first lesson learned from Enoch is the bloodline of his fathers and his subsequent bloodline down to Noah.  It is written, “Adam, Sheth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered, Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth” (1 Chron. 1:1-4).  Genesis 5 is the record from Moses giving more details of this lineage.  While Adam had a fleshly line through Cain as seen in Genesis 4:16-24, such was a line that did not seek after the ways of God.  It is stated of the line of Seth, “And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord” (Gen. 4:25-26).  Here one sees that the line of Adam through Seth were godly men who looked to God.  While it is possible to be godly having come from a godless family heritage, it is a tremendous blessing to come from those who fear God and continue to pass that down to the next generations.

2.  A Godly Personage.  Moses wrote specifically of Enoch, “And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God; and he was not; for God took him” (Gen. 5:21-24).  Here are some details that show what kind of person Enoch was from a family and spiritual standpoint.  He walked with the true God which was a walk of faith (cf. Heb. 11:5) and showed his lineage for three hundred years what a godly man looked like.  When one does the math of how old Enoch was at the birth of Methuselah and Lamech, the grandson of Enoch, one sees that both of these men had Enoch’s godly life exemplified before them before he was translated.  Lamech could tell Noah, the great-grandson of Enoch, about his ancestor and the special person that he was.

3.  A Godly Prophet.  Jude wrote, “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him” (Jude 14-15).  Enoch did not live in a world where everyone was godly.  He is noted here as being God’s prophet to seek to turn the ungodly of his day unto the Lord.  The judgment day of the Lord was a major subject of his prophetic work.  The Lord would demonstrate divine judgment upon the world within three generations of Enoch in the days of Noah.  The final judgment was foretold by Enoch that all might heed and prepare.  Enoch’s translation shows life after this life.

Jimmy Clark

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful” (Col. 3:15). 

Gratitude is a natural part of being a Christian.  One who is not thankful is characterized as one who turns from God.  Paul wrote to the Roman brethren, “Because that , when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (Rom. 1:21).  Being thankful can be expressed in so many ways.  Consider three.

1.  Prayer.  How can the Christian not thank the Lord in prayer?  Paul stated of prayer, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men” (1 Tim. 2:1).  One does not have to look long in Paul’s letters to the brethren to see his thanksgiving to God for fellow Christians (cf. Rom. 1:8; 1 Cor. 1:4; Eph. 1:16; Phil. 1:3; Col. 1:3; 1 Thess. 1:2; 2 Thess. 1:3; 2 Tim. 1:3; Philemon 4).  How much do Christians need other Christians?  When a loved one is sick, there are prayers for their recovery.  When there is healing, there should be prayers of thanksgiving.  When a blessing comes in many different ways, being grateful should be a genuine expression.  Thank you cards are often sent to congregations due to the thoughtfulness of good people to show care.  May it always be the case that gratitude is the attitude toward grace.

2.  Praise.  Paul wrote to the Colossians, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16).  How many psalms are there which develop the theme of thanksgiving?  It is written, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Ps. 100:4).  The very concept of Paul’s words “sing with grace in your hearts” (Col. 3:16) reveals this same concept of praising the Lord through thanksgiving.  There is one translation that gives these very words: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16, ESV).  How can the Christian who comprehends the great gift of salvation through Christ not sing with thanksgiving?  It is as Paul wrote, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Cor. 9:15).

3.  Practice of Life.  Paul closed the paragraph of Colossians 3:12-17 with the words, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Col. 3:17).  Notice here that the life of the Christian is to reflect both in word and work a gratitude for all that God has done through Christ.  One would be an ingrate to have such blessings and then live contrary to the authority of the Lord.  One is to pattern their life after the model of Christ.  John wrote, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6).  Paul wrote to the Philippian brethren, “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Phil. 4:9).  A life that is so attune with the qualities taught in the Bible is the godly, grateful life.         

Jimmy Clark

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you” (Phil. 3:13-15). 

Everyone wants to be a winner.  This is emphatically important in the spiritual sense.  Paul was zealous before he became a Christian (cf. Gal. 1:13-14) and more so afterward (cf. 1 Cor. 15:10).  Paul is a great example of one who knew what a winning attitude is like and how to speak of it to others.  Consider three of his inspired thoughts.

1.  Centralized Focus.  A divided heart is a certain setup for failure.  James wrote, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8).  Single-minded focus is a key to successful spiritual living.  The inspired apostle specifically stated, “this one thing I do” (Phil. 3:13).  Jesus had this as his driving purpose, where he said, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:34).  There are so many things in this life that can choke out the efficiency of the word of God in life.  Jesus said, “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful” (Matt. 13:22).  Paul is an example of the good ground (cf. Luke 8:15) where nothing would be allowed to hinder the effect of the word of God in his life in Christ.

2.  Ceasing to Live in the Past.  One cannot move forward and continue to live in the past.  Jesus himself stated, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).  Paul wrote of pressing forward by first saying, “forgetting those things which are behind” (Phil. 3:13).  Only the Christian can fully do this.  “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).  Having been forgiven of one’s sins now provides the opportunity to live a productive and winning life. 

3.  Confident in the Prize Set Before.  Paul’s life is an example in confidence.  His was not that of self-confidence (cf. Phil. 3:9) but of the assurance he had in Christ (cf. Rom. 5:1-2).  It is out of this confidence that he could write, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).  It is toward the end of his life that he would say, “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” (2 Tim. 1:12).  Again, Paul wrote at the closing of his life, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:6-8).  As a confident athlete who finishes the racecourse to receive his crown of victory, Paul saw by faith his glorious crown given to him in the end.  A rock-solid faith like that has value for daily living as well for the challenges unto the end.

Jimmy Clark

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful” (Col. 3:15). 

Gratitude is a natural part of being a Christian.  One who is not thankful is characterized as one who turns from God.  Paul wrote to the Roman brethren, “Because that , when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (Rom. 1:21).  Being thankful can be expressed in so many ways.  Consider three.

1.  Prayer.  How can the Christian not thank the Lord in prayer?  Paul stated of prayer, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men” (1 Tim. 2:1).  One does not have to look long in Paul’s letters to the brethren to see his thanksgiving to God for fellow Christians (cf. Rom. 1:8; 1 Cor. 1:4; Eph. 1:16; Phil. 1:3; Col. 1:3; 1 Thess. 1:2; 2 Thess. 1:3; 2 Tim. 1:3; Philemon 4).  How much do Christians need other Christians?  When a loved one is sick, there are prayers for their recovery.  When there is healing, there should be prayers of thanksgiving.  When a blessing comes in many different ways, being grateful should be a genuine expression.  Thank you cards are often sent to congregations due to the thoughtfulness of good people to show care.  May it always be the case that gratitude is the attitude toward grace.

2.  Praise.  Paul wrote to the Colossians, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16).  How many psalms are there which develop the theme of thanksgiving?  It is written, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Ps. 100:4).  The very concept of Paul’s words “sing with grace in your hearts” (Col. 3:16) reveals this same concept of praising the Lord through thanksgiving.  There is one translation that gives these very words: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16, ESV).  How can the Christian who comprehends the great gift of salvation through Christ not sing with thanksgiving?  It is as Paul wrote, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Cor. 9:15).

3.  Practice of Life.  Paul closed the paragraph of Colossians 3:12-17 with the words, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Col. 3:17).  Notice here that the life of the Christian is to reflect both in word and work a gratitude for all that God has done through Christ.  One would be an ingrate to have such blessings and then live contrary to the authority of the Lord.  One is to pattern their life after the model of Christ.  John wrote, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6).  Paul wrote to the Philippian brethren, “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Phil. 4:9).  A life that is so attune with the qualities taught in the Bible is the godly, grateful life.                                                                                        

Jimmy Clark