New Year, New Boldness
January is almost over, and with it, the fresh excitement of the new year fades. School is back, schedules are filling, and the routine is becoming monotonous once more. As students, the beginning of January is exciting. There are new classes and new schedules to look forward to. But four weeks in, and those new classes begin to seem just as boring as the ones that ended last semester. It can be easy to begin “going through the motions.” We go through our day with a lack of intentionality, simply because it’s easier that way. But when we live life going through the motions, we often miss the opportunities that God gives us to be bold in our faith. We become so caught up in the routine that we don’t pay attention to the people around us, and we don’t take the time to share our faith with them. This year, I want to challenge you to take advantage of the unique opportunities that God has given you. As we step into the new year, take hold of new boldness and let your light shine to those around you!
Isaiah 60:1 says, “Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.” This is a command! Notice the first word—arise. In order to let our light shine, we need to wake up. We need to be active in our faith. Having an active faith is what James spoke about. James 2:14 says, “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?... So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” Dead and useless are pretty strong words. I don’t know about you, but I would never want someone to look at my faith and see it as dead and useless! The reality is, it does not matter how many church services we attend, or how strongly we say believe in Jesus in our hearts. We can say we believe, but if we are not taking action in our faith, our faith is actually useless.
Our faith is not meant to benefit only us. Our faith is meant to benefit others as well. James goes on to say, “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?...So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone...Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.” That is another sobering reality. James says that even the demons believe in God. Surely, we should be set apart from the demons! We are not meant to simply believe in Jesus. We are meant to take action for His name! Like we read in Isaiah said, we need to arise and wake up to the call of God on our lives. We are called to love, to show compassion, and to reflect Jesus in every interaction we have. When we do this, we are truly letting our light shine for all to see in the way that God commanded us to. As you go into the new year, let your light shine! Do not allow your faith to become dead and useless. Instead, I challenge you to live a life of faith that is evident to others through your works.
Isaiah 60:1 not only tells us to arise and let our light shine, but it also says this: “For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.” When God’s glory shines around us, others cannot help but notice. The next few verses say, “Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.” Isn’t that amazing? All nations will come to your light! And this light that Isaiah speaks of does not come from us, it comes from the Lord. When you live in the presence of God and walk in His glory, others will be able to see that. You’ve probably heard people make references to the “Jesus glow”—but no matter how funny it may sound, there's truth in that phrase! There is a true radiance that comes from knowing the Lord and walking with Him. As you go into your school, would you go confidently, knowing that the glory of the Lord is shining on you? When you walk boldly in your faith and allow the light of Jesus to shine through you, others will take notice. And when they do, you can use the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with them! No matter what darkness you may feel you are walking into, make the decision today to walk in the light of the Lord. Then, as Isaiah told Jerusalem, even those covered in darkness will “come to see your radiance!”
My prayer for you is that you enter the new year with new boldness. May you have boldness to arise and let your light shine for all to see, and boldness to walk daily in the glory of the Lord that is shining on you. There is no limit to the work that Jesus can do in your school and in your community. All you have to do is choose to follow His command: “Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.”
-Macy McNatt
