The only enduring foundation for human dignity!
Welcome to “Word from The Center” MONDAY, a devotional word from the Center of our faith, Jesus Christ, with reflections from His Word. I’m Gregory Seltz. Today’s verses are Galatians 4:4-7, where the Bible says,
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, [5] to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. [6] Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” [7] So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, and many of you are getting ready to leave behind the old year and to ring in the New Year with expectations, even high hopes, of what is to come. The question is, “Why?” Why do you expect this year to be better than last? On the one hand, maybe last year was a great year for you, full of positive events and increasing opportunities. If it was a year of blessings, why shouldn’t they last? Maybe they will. But what if next year begins with struggle, illness, or destructive events that are beyond your control? On the other hand, what if last year was nothing to write home about and next year is just a continuation of that? What then? Human life is like that. Even when we think the good life is comfortably within our grasp, there are things that are beyond our control. To face the New Year, whatever the year might bring, we need a more solid foundation than our best efforts, our ingenuity, or our power and prestige. These will succeed, if they do so at all, only for a time.
That’s why St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians is so powerful. Its message is one that undergirds all that is good in our lives. Its message gives us power to face the troubles of this world. Its message is one that gives us an identity, even when everything and everyone in the world might reject us. It is rooted in God’s work in the world for you and me. When God engages the world to redeem it, to restore it, to reconcile it unto Himself, that is an enduring truth which builds a solid foundation for our lives now and forever. It allows us to rejoice in what is best in our world and to struggle against what is evil. It allows us to deal with suffering and pain, even as we rejoice in health and success. All of these things are now in service to the reality that God has done all things well for us already, and has gifted us with life as His children because of the person and work of Jesus the Messiah.
Today, the world tempts us to believe that our wisdom, our technology, and our politics are the only truths needed for the enduring foundation of human dignity. The Founding Fathers of America knew that something greater than those was needed. They rooted human dignity in the fact that all human beings are created in the image of God; this means our identity and value are not dependent on human efforts, but come from our Creator. There’s no doubt that such a truth has blessed us. But can you imagine what comes with the knowledge that you were created AND then also redeemed by God to be His sons and daughters by grace through faith, now and forever? Such truths will change the way that you look at yourself, the way that you look at others, and the way you look at life itself. Celebrate that tomorrow tonight as you tip your glass. Then be ready to prayerfully and courageously face whatever comes next year. Why? Because by faith in Jesus, you are a child of God, an heir of life now and forever in Jesus. Now that’s solid and enduring…..and it’s for all those who believe!
PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, help us to face the New Year with the same confidence that You seek to give us each and every year. And may each new day be an opportunity to be Your graced people for others, as You always are for us. AMEN.
