Dear Reader
“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians16:13)
“What will this year bring?”
It is not without reason that such a question arises, for the last few years have been filled with startling events. Never in the history of the world have things moved with such lightning speed. In the past decade, we have witnessed changes that we thought would take centuries for development. Man’s inventions and cries for speed and more speed have brought all the inhabitants of the world closer together. There are few “remote” parts of the world left. Jungles have been proved to be anything but “impenetrable barriers,” and wide oceans now afford scanty protection and comfort. People may well cry: “What is next?” and “Where is all this leading?”
In the light of the Word of God there is one sure and certain event of great magnitude that is coming soon—very soon. The Lord Jesus is coming! He will give that shout in the air which will call all who are sheltered by His precious blood, to meet Him in the clouds, and accompany Him to the Father’s House, to be forever with and like Himself (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17; 1 John 3:2).
Dear Christian, do our hearts thrill at the thought of seeing the One who loves us and died for us? Does the prospect that even “today” He may come lift our poor hearts above the world’s joys and sorrows?
So, as we walk in this world with all the responsibilities of school and work, we will find that there are certain occasions when we must “overcome” and others when we have to “stand” (Ephesians 6:13). How do we spend the days that the Lord gives us? To strengthen ourselves in the truths God has given us in His word, or to go to sleep amid comfortable surroundings, only to be unexpectedly awakened when Satan returns to the charge and to find ourselves powerless in the presence of the enemy?
Those who are not fed are not able to fight. Let us use the time the Lord gives us to grow in our personal knowledge of Him and walk in communion with Him. We then will have strength to resist fresh attacks and avoid falling into bondage crueler than that from which we have escaped.
It is the essence of the new nature for the believer to live in dependence on God! In the midst of trials, we must have confidence in Him and rely on the power of prayer.
While we wait, may we live more faithfully, and put Christ before others daily in this New Year until He comes, for He is worthy of all we have and are.
Thank you for your e-mails and notes of encouragement. Please keep praying for the Lord’s blessing on Toward the Mark.
Yours in our soon-coming Lord,
Emil S. Nashed
Please send your questions and comments to:
Toward The Mark
c/o Wayne Christian Assembly
60 Smith Lane
Wayne, NJ 07470-5354
Attention: Emil S. Nashed
www.towardthemark.org
