“Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may
receive the promised eternal inheritance.” Hebrews 9:15 NIV

People are conditioned to the temporary. We are accustomed to
seeing everything pass away. No matter how diligently we try to maintain
things, sooner or later they leave us. Whether material, mechanical or
living things, in this world their days or years are numbered.

No matter how we nurse and nurture it, we see our bodies change,
and not always for the better. It is the law of life. In physics it is
called “entropy”. Everything goes one way, unless (and often even if) there
is an outside force at work, it will lose ground and deteriorate.

Such thoughts don’t exactly inspire a happy New Year.

But yes, those born of the Spirit of God can still have eternal
joy, eternal hope and eternal peace, because “we know we have passed from
death unto life”.

We know that even though “the world passeth away, and the lust
thereof. he that doeth the will of God abideth forever”.

Doing the will of God begins with a total, restful trust in the
great grace of God to provide a perfect, eternal redemption for us. The work
was completed once-for-all on the cross.

Even our faith is not an addition to Christ’s finished work.

In the “change and decay in all around” we see there is the One
who “changeth not”. It is He who rules the times. And our “times are in His
hand”.

As we enter the new year we must daily remember His promise:
“My Presence shall go with thee, I will give thee rest”