In just a few days we will be entering into the year 2016. Did you ever think that you would see 2016? I remember growing up wondering if we would even see the year 2000, but obviously we did and now we find ourselves staring at the start of 2016.
For some the year 2015 was nothing less than a terrible year for a variety of reasons. Some faced economic collapse, others have had to deal with serious or catastrophic medical issues, and for others either broken relationships or the loss of loved ones. For others 2015 was a great year. Maybe they experienced significant career advancements, new additions to their family, or any one of many other exciting things one can imagine. In either case, the year 2015 is coming to a close, and with that the hope of a better year in 2016 awaits them.
Was 2015 a rough year for you, or was it one of much excitement and joy? No matter what, there is a hope in the hearts and minds of many that 2016 will be better than the previous. Whenever we approach a new year people envision themselves in one way or another turning over a new leaf. We hear it in those infamous “New Year’s Resolutions” that seem to return each year because they were forgotten shortly after the start of the previous year. Are you looking forward to any New Year’s Resolutions going into 2016? Are any of them repeats from previous years, or are they new ones originating from the experiences of 2015?
In either case, the year 2016 will be a year to be watched. Outside of the usual excitement and expectations of a new year, 2016 has the potential of being one of the best and worst years on record for mankind. Whether it is the best or worst for you will depend on your perspective and where you place your hope. In recent years we have seen the fulfillment of Bible end-time prophesy monopolize the news almost everywhere we look. As we look forward we can even see things coming our way in the very near future which the Bible tells us will take place in the tribulation period. If your perspective and hope is centered on Christ, then 2016 has the potential of being the most exciting year ever for you knowing that this could be the year Jesus returns for His bride, the church. If your perspective and hope is centered on anything or anyone else, then 2016 could potentially be the worst year ever for you if Jesus returns and you are left behind to deal with what will come in the tribulation period.
If your life is focused and centered around Jesus, then the excitement comes from the fact you would be caught up to be with Him forever in Heaven. If your life is not focused and centered around Jesus, then what awaits you is a time of extreme trials and tribulations, a time that will be very difficult to live through to say the least.
If 2016 is the year that Jesus returns, you do not want to be left behind because things will get far worse than you can ever imagine. If you haven’t given your life to Jesus, to live and die for Him alone, then this is the time to change that. Jesus needs to be your all-in-all, and not just an acquaintance that you turn to when things get tough. Jesus needs to be more important to you than anything or anyone else in your life, including yourself. After all, you mean enough to Him that He would give His all for you on a cross so you could spend eternity with Him in Heaven, a place far more grand and spectacular than anything else you could ever imagine in a million years. If you haven’t given your life to Jesus, then I strongly encourage you to do so ASAP. A life lived for Jesus is a life far better than anything else this world can give. It’s all an issue of where your perspective and hope rests upon that will determine what 2016 will hold for you.
John Johansson
