“Now
there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He
was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It
had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had
seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple
courts.” Luke
2:25-27a
Simeon was a man who was intensely passionate about
God. God saw him as morally pure. This is what it means when it says that he
was “righteous and devout”. This is what the Lord desires of us as His
children.
Now that the Christmas holiday is past and the mundane
things of life take their grip on our daily lives once again, what are we going
to do? Was Christmas just a time of
spiritual reflection that is quickly dismissed by the busyness of our
days? Could there be anything more
important that our personal and abiding relationship with Almighty God?
It is said of Simeon that the Holy Spirit was upon him and
revealed certain things to him. The
Spirit also moved him to go to the Temple courts to see the future of Israel in
person just as God had promised him. Are
we close enough to God to sense His Spirit moving upon us and guiding us? Christianity is not a belief system that we
partake of casually as we would a movie or a chess game; it is a mission that
we have been called upon since our salvation to make others aware of their
souls condition. We are not all necessarily
called to stand on the street corner and preach to the masses as they pass by;
however, we are called to imitate Christ in our daily lives as the Spirit
enables us.
Let this be your New Year’s resolution, to be more like
Christ each day. Also make it a point to
read a portion of scripture daily, applying it to your life. God forgave
you of all your sins for what reason? To
simply smile, wave and go on? Not
hardly. We are called to be righteous and devoted followers of Jesus Christ,
living each day as if it were our last.
Make the most of each day for the Lord.
If you lack the desire to live your life striving to emulate Christ,
then don’t call yourself a Christian. Just say you believe in God, for a
Christian is someone who lives for Christ.
If this seems harsh perhaps it’s time for some introspection*. Until next time, walk with the King and be a
blessing!
* Contemplation of one's
own thoughts, feelings, and sensations; self-examination.
