Take a moment and meditate simply on Jesus. The stories you know about Him. What He is like, what He has said. What He has done.

How frequently have we “set our minds on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For we have died and our lives are hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:2-3)?

It is so very important for us, as Christians, to set our minds on Jesus Christ. It is easy to be consumed by the difficulties and concerns of every-day-life. Yet Jesus invites us to continually shift our focus onto Him, the image of the unseen God. If we want to live a life of pure and simple devotion to Jesus Christ, this is what we need to do.

Let me challenge you as we stand at the precipice of a new year not to settle for just looking at eternal life but to pursue a quality Christian life here and now. We’re not talking about a lifestyle of self-absorption that is all too common in our society but a life that walks closely with the Prince of Life, with your whole life dedicated to knowing Jesus and the power of His resurrection (cf. Phil. 3:10).

We most often feel distant from God when we are focusing on the problems we experience in this life and wonder why God hasn’t answered our prayers. We prayed for someone who was sick but they died anyway. We thought God was going to bless us with a specific job but we did not get hired. We thought we would marry, or marry a specific person, but no such luck…

In those situations, we often do what Elijah did in the cave at Horeb. We want God to show up on our terms, answer our questions, and prove Himself in ways that please us. When He does not, we become disappointed, angry, and frustrated. The God of heaven does not stand as a house slave waiting to jump at our every beck and call. Instead, He gives us a series of promises.

Peter writes: “He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).

When I understand the promises of God, I learn to trust His gifts and His timing. When I see God as He reveals Himself in the Bible, I see God has been faithful from the beginning of time, not just to me but to all His followers. It is then that I can take my eyes off my immediate concerns and I can set them on things above, where Christ is.

Live your life on the promises of God. The answers will come in time.

Paul Holland