What have you to say about yourself?’ So, John said, ‘I am, as Isaiah prophesied: a voice that cries in the wilderness: Make a straight way for the Lord.’
I have an evil mouth sometimes. I know that is impolite at best and a sin but sometimes the name of Jesus slips out of my lips at the most inappropriate times. The man who denies that Jesus is the Christ –he is the liar, he is Antichrist; and he is denying the Father as well as the Son, because no one who has the Father can deny the Son.
The part of this scripture that impresses me at the start of the year is not to make a resolution for this new year that might break. The focus should be on the good things associated around the name of Jesus and not the rare instances that take the name of Jesus in vain.
If Jesus should be the center of our lives, we should thank him constantly for every moment. We do it when we pray for our neighbors and friends. We do it when we say a prayer for someone we meet on the street. We should do it when we get a discount and save money, and we should do it when we get a traffic ticket. Sometimes the negative in our lives is incentive to do better. Yes, we should be happy to pay taxes for the common good of all.
So, looking over the new year, I may not be able to keep any resolution, but I can keep an attitude to make Jesus more a part of my life and the life of others.
Over the Holidays, I spoke with a number of friends and wished them well for the New Year. I also told them that I pray for them. Jesus should be greater in their lives, as well. It is not just about us. We are all in this together. It is not just about me, but it is about all of us. Making “straight the way of the Lord” is the mission of everyone.
God Love You Always
Bob Burford
PS: Please Pray for Pope Leo XIV. Please Pray for Cancer victims and their caregivers. Pray for the conversion of Russia and the salvation of the Ukrainian and Russian people and their soldiers. Pray for the Holy Land. Pray for peace! The impossible could and can happen. (Saint Rita) Never deny God! Pray for justice for immigrants! Pray for justice for our President and all government officials!
