Go on your way

“I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these things?”

9“Go on your way, Daniel,” he replied, “for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. 10Many will be purified, made spotless, and refined, but the wicked will continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand.

11And from the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12Blessed is he who waits and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.

13But as for you, go on your way until the end. You will rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.”   Daniel 12:8-13

 

We move into a new year, 2024, and many of us will have made resolutions to change habits, or try new things. Yet for the most we will be continuing what we have been attending to in the previous year. This is not a bad thing if we have a sense of purpose or duty and responsibility in whatever sphere we are called to in life.

Those of us who are committed Christians will continue to read and study God’s word and to try to live it out. We also are attentive to the world in which we live and the many major events happening throughout this Earth.

Some people I know are fearful for the future. Some refuse to watch the nightly news. Some are experiencing compassion fatigue – tragedies and difficulties in daily life can be overwhelming. That is why a firm foundation in Christ is the only hope on which we can stand. Hope does not lie in political parties or social justice activism or protest movements per se (although Christians can seek to bring Christ’s message into these arenas) but in faith in God and the active work of His Holy Spirit in this world.

Throughout the Bible prophets declared momentous events which would transpire in the future. No fantasy movie this, but a genuine battle in earthly and spiritual realms between good and evil. We can choose which side we’re on. As is recorded in the above passage from the book of Daniel, many will come to believe in God and trust Him, but wicked people will continue to act wickedly. The book of Revelation declares that people become so wicked that despite apocalyptic events, they refuse to repent and turn to Christ.

To those of us committed to Christ, God says stand firm. Don’t fall away. Continue in prayer, fellowship and study of God’s word. Continue to use whatever gifts, talents and resources He has equipped you with. Go on your way until the end.

For those who are yet to become Christians, I’ve reprinted two regular reprints here- The Gospel and How do I become a Christian?

May God bless anyone visiting here and encourage you throughout 2024.