New Day Dawning

2 Timothy 4:6-8 New Year means more than a change in the calendar. New Year symbolizes change from what has taken place in the old year to possibilities of better things to come in the upcoming year. I was raised in a home in which the celebrations of Christmas and New Year are tied together. Christmas is the time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Christ, who has come into the world to make God known to us. Christmas is marked by four significant words, love, joy, peace, and hope. Those who receive Jesus into their hearts as their personal Savior have their sins forgiven. The Holy Spirit infuses their hearts with the particular love, joy, peace, and hope that only God can give. New Year is the time that we hope for and anticipate better days ahead. New Year means that a new day is dawning. The text that I choose to use for this article comes from some of the final writings of the apostle Paul. Paul writes to Timothy his protégé and son in the ministry to encourage him to guard that which is entrusted to him when things are sweet and when things are sour. He must be strong in the face of tremendous opposition from those who oppose the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul writes this letter because he knows that his time on earth is nearing its end. He knows that he will soon face death by the emperor’s execution of death at the chopping block. Paul is not seeking pity. In fact Paul’s writes to say that for him a better day is ahead. It is this same Paul that tells us of his suffering for the sake of the gospel (2 Cor. 11:23-33). This is the Paul that wrestles with death and ministry (Phil. 1:18-25). It seems that Paul is at peace with himself. He anticipates the dawning of a better day. What could possibly be better than going to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Paul’s attitude gives us an example of the ammunition that we can take with us into the New Year. Let us examine what Paul has to say to Timothy and by extension to all who believe in Jesus. First, Paul knows that his death is imminent. He writes, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come” (2 Tim. 4:6, NASB). As stated earlier Paul has experienced good days and bad days. He knows how to live with much and how to live with little. He writes to the church at Philippi and says, “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:11-13, NASB). Now Paul anticipates his death with a positive attitude because he knows that Christ is with him now and will be with him when he faces the axe that will chop off his head. Paul is not sitting there being sad with tears in his eyes. Rather, he is rejoicing and shouting because he knows that a new day is dawning. Secondly, Paul has no regrets about his ministry. He says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (v. 7). He is not feeling guilty nor does he belabor the failures that he has experienced. We too must learn to live with both our successes and failures. The Bible is full of stories in which it appears that a person is experiencing failure, but God uses our failures to show His strength. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28, NASB). Paul gives us three word pictures to describe his work in the ministry. The first word is fight which depicts the work of a soldier. “I have fought the good fight.” He has faced opposition at many times and in many places. Regardless of the fierceness of the opponent Paul never deserts his post and he never tries to escape the hardships that a soldier must endure. Again, Paul writes that regardless of the circumstances he is victorious. “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37). The second picture comes from the word course. This word symbolizes a race. In the race there are stumbling blocks that have the capacity to trip us up. Paul says that falling down in the race is no reason to give up. He says that we must get rid of unnecessary garments so that we will not have too much weight (Phil. 3:1-8). We must train and be disciplined in the righteousness of Christ so that we like Christ can have the power of His resurrection to revive us and sustain us in the race. The third word is faith. Like Paul we must never give up in the race. Our faith is in Jesus and He helps us to keep our eyes on the prize that Jesus has in store for us at the end of the race. When we have faith in Jesus he gives us His Holy Spirit to infuse us with strength to get back up when we fall. His Spirit gives us endurance to continue running when we feel like giving up. “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14, NASB). A new day is dawning and God has blessings in store for us. The year 2016 has had its challenges, but by the grace of God we have made it through. Paul is about to die. Yet, he maintains a positive attitude. This attitude is not based on what he has accomplished in his long years of preaching the gospel. His attitude is based on His relationship with God through Jesus Christ. He anticipates the reward that is stored in heaven for him. He says, “In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (v. 8). The beginning of a new year symbolizes that God has been with us, and he will continue to be with us in both good days and bad days. Nothing can separate those who believe in Jesus from the love of God. So, let us make our commitment to Jesus Christ our New Year’s resolution. A new day is dawning and Jesus is waiting to award us a prize at the end of the race.