Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. -- 1 Corinthians 2:12
The earth has completed another circuit of the sun, yet we
are not in the same place we were this time last year. The sun has moved accompanied by the myriad
of stars and bodies of light and darkness that lie around about us. There is nothing new under the sun yet
nothing is the same as it was. I am not
the same, my life has changed completely; nevertheless, I look much the same – a bit
more haggard and white-haired, a few more cracks and creases but recognizable. I have the same memories and scars, though I
could not have imagined on this day a year ago what I would be where I am.
The spirit of the
world or the spirit of the age has become more confused, more desperate,
fearful, corrupted, and perverse. It
cries, Peace, constantly, while having no hope for peace of any kind. It blusters even as it cowers, empty of
understanding, ignorantly mocking its own ignorance.
God, the Apostle Paul told Timothy, has not given us the
spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7). We can live in liberty, no longer governed and
controlled by fear and intimidation, no longer manipulated by passion and worry. We can rest in the love of God, knowing that
He cares for us, empowering us to meet every challenge in life and to live
above the animal impulses of the body and the emotions and rationalizations of
the soul.
Tomorrow is both a known and an unknown, mystery and
opportunity. The spirit of the world
alternatively exults and recoils from the future. The Spirit who is from God reminds us to look
not at the calendar but at the seasons – life, death, renewal, and
rebirth. We sleep; we wake. There is a time to lie quiet and dormant, a
time to produce and be fruitful. The
spirit of the age, trapped by time, imprisoned by instincts, can only follow
trends and fashions, blown about by the winds of rhetoric and the selfish
desires of the soul.
Through Christ, we live the everlasting life in tune with
eternity and controlled by truth. Every
day starts a joyous new year.
