What should we do -- 2025?

    Christmas has come and gone. We seem to have such a build-up to celebrate Christmas, and then, BOOM! 

    I hear rumors my granddaughter took down her Christmas Tree the day after Christmas. Stephanie and I still have ours up, and all the decorations are still in place. I think they will make it to January 1st, the day we typically remove them. As people place Christmas in the rearview mirror, we start looking ahead to the NEW YEAR. 

    I love this time of the year. There is so much hope in the possibilities of the year ahead of us. We don't anticipate the bad moments that are going to be a part of our lives in 2025. It's no fun thinking about those dreaded battles with health issues, financial issues, or relationship issues. Instead, most of us have great hope for the year ahead. 

As I was studying the ministry of John the Baptist this morning, I was captivated by Luke's version of the story, particularly Luke 3:7-15 --

"When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, 'You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don't just say to each other, 'We're safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.' That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now, the ax of God's judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.'

 The crowds asked, 'What should we do?' 

John replied, 'If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.' 

Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, 'Teacher, what should we do?'

He replied, 'Collect no more taxes than the government requires.'

What should we do? asked some soldiers.

John replied, 'Don't extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.'

Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah." (Luke 3:7-15, emphasis added)

    You can sense the common theme, "What should we do?" Everyone was asking. So, I was thinking, we are expecting Jesus to return any moment. It might be the event of 2025! And if he is about to return, the question is the same for us as it was recorded in Luke,

"What should we do in 2025?"

Since we are asking the same question asked of John, shouldn't we also heed his advice?

To summarize, what John was saying is pretty simple. 

    In preparation for the SECOND coming of Jesus, we should focus on others and not ourselves. I'm not sure we have to give up our shirt, but we should give sacrificially to help others who are not able to help themselves. 

    I don't think his message to the tax collectors is only for the IRS! I think he is saying that we need to live lives worthy of the Gospel, pointing others to Jesus, not just by our words, but through our deeds. That includes our ethics at work, at home, and throughout our community. Live like we believe! 

    Along with that advice, John told the soldiers to be content with their pay. I think today he would simply say, "Life is not all about money, the things you have, the fancy home, the cars you drive, or the number of Amazon boxes in your trash!" BE CONTENT in what you have. 

    Simply put, if the time is drawing near for Jesus to return, and I truly believe it is, stop focusing on things of this world and focus on Jesus. "What should we do in 2025?" Focus on being the light of Jesus in a hurting world, a world filled with people who don't know where their next meal is coming from, people who have cars that barely make it to work, people who are dealing with the battles of addiction, broken relationships, health issues, loneliness, and a multitude of other problems. In 2025, shouldn't we be more like Jesus? Shouldn't we be his light in this darkness? Shouldn't we serve people like he did? Shouldn't we do everything we can to save people from the coming wrath? 

Please, Heavenly Father, give us the will and the motivation to serve others in the coming year. Help us to look beyond ourselves with your compassion. Help us to be your hands and feet in giving sacrificially of our time and our resources. We are excited, Lord, about your return and we want to bring others along with us! Give us your heart as we enter the new year ahead. Amen