By Brad Campbell –

Happy New Year!  The year 2018 has arrived full force.  Temperatures at my house this morning hovered around 19 degrees with a wind chill of 3.  I’m not a fan of cold weather.  Sixty degrees is too cool, as far as I’m concerned.  However, it is January.  It is wintertime, after all.

My picture here shows a bright and sunny day on the Alabama Gulf Coast.  No, I’m not there, but I look forward already to warmer days with the sun shining.

I wonder.  As we begin yet another year by the grace of God, do we long for the Son as much as we are longing for the warm sun today?  Are we excited, knowing that the Savior who came that long Christmas ago as a baby laid in a manger will one day be coming back again?  Do we long for the warmth of His embrace?  Are we ready for the dark cold days of this world to be a thing of the past?

Until that great day arrives, we must persevere through the cold dark world, being the representatives of His great light and love to those who so desperately need to feel the warmth.  This week, share the warmth.  Enjoy your time in the Son, and share Him wherever you go.  For whatever His reasoning may be, He has let us see the dawn of a new year.  We have a new chance.  We can make a change, and we must make a change, not only in our own lives, but in the world around us.

Stay warm!  — Just a thought.