The Truth is the Light
By: Reverend Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr.
Based on Biblical Text: Colossians 3:17 KJV: And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
We quickly come to the realization that time waits for no one. Time goes by whether we are paying attention or not. Believe it or not another year has come and gone. We can look back today and conclude that some of the issues we resolved to change have been conquered. However we can probably also conclude that there are many other issues still looming. As we anticipate the New Year as usual we find it to be a time of reflection. We are forced to take an introspective review of our life. We decide, once again, this New Year’s Eve, just as others in the past, our common goal is to start over and begin anew.
We each have lists of baggage we would like to unload. Many of us admit there are habits we would like to break. For some there are relationships we would like to mend or end. We resolve to remold ourselves into a personality that is more to our liking. So we vow to start over.
For us who profess to know the Lord and maintain a loving, trusting relationship with Him, there is only one way to begin anew. To begin anew, according to the Word of God, commands that we walk in the newness of life as mirror images of a risen Savior. The Bible reminds us, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)
As we seek to emulate the Only One who is worthy of imitation, our flesh is not crucified with Him once, but daily. The truth of the matter is our faith joins us in a very real and close way with Jesus Christ. In fact while we live in our bodies on earth, we have in us another life, derived from our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Quite frankly, until we grasp that truth we have not yet risen to the height of the New Testament teachings. Unfortunately until we grasp that truth we will never understand the meaning of the “newness of life”. We are admonished to “put off” our old nature, which constitutes that life, which is ruled by the world. We are then challenged to solemnly lay hold of our union with Jesus.
This new life, part of our union with Jesus, that we press to discover on the eve of a New Year is waiting for us each morning that we awaken to see a new day. The spirit of Christ pushes off the old much like the tree does shedding its decaying leaves and replacing them with a fresh unfurling of His Spirit.
Jesus alone can push off the lust and greed of yesterday, and replace it with His spirit of self-control and temperance. Jesus alone can remove the emotion of hatred and replace it with a spirit of brotherly love.
We witness Paul light up with excitement as he thinks of that new nature which our union with Christ has brought us. Paul actually very cleverly condenses volumes of theological truth into just a few verses of scripture. Paul reminds us that who we are, greatly motivates what we do. As the elect of God we are holy and beloved! We are a privileged assembly and a royal priesthood. We must realize that to whom much is given, much is required.
We should not count our blessings and think of all the privileges and then neglect our duty to share Christ’s spirit with the world. Knowing “who we are” should encourage us to walk as mirror images and embodiments of God’s mercy toward us.
In fact we are charged to turn this earthly hell into an Eden! We are charged to bear the sorrows of others. We are admonished to offer help wherever needed. We are cautioned to bear no resentment toward those who would persecute us. We are to offer the same forgiveness that Jesus offered us. We cannot afford to wait a year to refresh our storehouse of His grace within us.
If we live a risen life, having put on the “new man”, then the “peace of Christ” is ours to renew us every day. Every day will be a day for resolution and starting over. Every day we can hear the preached Word with new ears and look upon God’s creation with new eyes. Every day we can fulfill our responsibilities with new enthusiasm while confronting our difficulties with a new attitude. We can offer a prayer to God on new knees and we can magnify Him with new praise. We can contemplate holy things with a new mind, worshipping the Lord with new lips. Finally we can labor in God’s vineyard with new hands and we can reflect the glory of God with new hearts.
The Reverend Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr., is the pastor of James Chapel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, S.C.
