2025 - I AM THE
NEW YEAR. I am unused, unspotted, without blemish. I stretch before you 365
days long. I will present each day in its turn, for you to place upon it your
imprint. I AM THE NEW YEAR. Each hour of each day, I will give you 60 minutes
that have never known the use of man. I will present each of them white and
pure. It remains for you to fill them with sixty jeweled seconds of love, hope,
endeavor, patience, and trust in God. I AM THE NEW YEAR. I am here – but once
past, I can never be recalled. Make me your best!
Walter Payton ranks
second on the NFL list of all-time leaders in rushing yards. Through thirteen
seasons as a Chicago Bear, Payton was tackled and knocked down thousands of
times. He built an extraordinary career, not by getting knocked down, but by
not staying down! He was knocked down the final time when he died on November
1, 1999, 45 years old. Payton had a motto in life – “Never Die Easy” – which he
attributed to Bob Hill, his coach at Jackson State University. Payton refused
to deliberately run out-of-bounds and always sought to resist would-be-tacklers
instead of going down or giving in without a fight. “Never Die Easy” is also
the title of Paton’s posthumously published autobiography.
The words “never
die easy” and the approach to life they represent have an application far
beyond the football field. The Christian life requires that we commit to “never
die easy.” Jesus lived and died that way. One place that makes that clear is
John 19:30 where, in His dying moments on the cross, Jesus cried, “It is
finished.” The context reveals that although He is nearing death, He did not
die easy. He was scourged, beaten, spit on, mocked, stripped, and nailed to the
cross (John 19:1-18; Matthew 26-27; Luke 22-23). Surrounded by a hostile crowd
that taunted, jeered, and insulted Him, Jesus hung on to God’s plan and purpose
for His life even as He hung on a rugged cross – held there not by metal spikes
but by a love even stronger than those spikes – a love His foes could not beat
or crucify or shame or shout out of him. In the midst of that gut-wrenching
kind of struggle Jesus said, “It is finished” – not a cry of defeat but of
victory! Notice the Lord did not say, “I am finished,” but “It is finished.”
Precisely what “it” was is made clear back in John 17:4 when He prayed to His
Father (a few hours before dying on the cross), “I have glorified You on the
earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” By His death on
the cross Jesus completed God’s wonderous plan to save man, a plan born in
eternity, carried out over thousands of years, and culminating in the life,
death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. As he prepared to draw His last
breath, in awful circumstances that included shedding His blood for our sins, the
Son of God said, with a cry of triumph, “It is finished.” He went on to die but
then got up from the grave three days later!
As a Christian
are you taking the easy way out, or have you committed yourself to “never die
easy?” Some marriages die too easily, with little or no fight to save them. Some
Christians leave the faith to easily. Some get tired of serving and just pitch
in the towel. Others are let down by someone in the church and just quit the
Lord. How many begin the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12) only to give up
far before they finish? Are you close to quitting? Are your circumstances
discouraging? Are you weary and heavy-hearted? Pessimistic about your job? Have
your dreams not materialized? Are you tired of the daily grind? Does the cross
seem heavy you are called to bear? Do you find yourself wanting to give up? Don’t
do it! Heaven will not be for those who die easy. Let us, like Jesus, commit to
finishing God’s will and work for our lives no matter what comes our way. Never
die easy! 2025 is going to be a great challenge for everyone. Pray for courage
and strength.