“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” Phil.1:21
Lord Jesus, some choices are “no brainers” and some merely require “sanctified common sense.” Other choices tie us in knots, rob us of sleep, and fuel our 2nd-guessing. Winding down 2025 and on the cusp of 2026, those phrases aren’t metaphors but realities for many of us—me included.
The first Christmas thrust all the main characters into new scenarios and stories—all generated by your arrival. Mary and Joseph, the shepherds who made it to Bethlehem, Maji who’d come later, insecure religious leaders, threatened Roman officials—the world changed for everyone in response to your presence, Jesus. That’s actually a good thing.
Living life and making choices in response to you is, in fact, how we want to live the rest of our days. You’re not an add-on. You’re not the opening devo and closing prayer of our 70+ years of life; you are our life, Lord Jesus (Phil.1:21). Perhaps the Holy Spirit is using Christmas 2025 to reaffirm you as our heart-treasure, realign our priorities with “things above” (Col.3:2), and reset our inner GPS to “auto pilot” with you as our Pilot, destination, and delight.
Jesus, if we hoist our heart-sails afresh to the wind of the Gospel, where will you take us? If the remainder of our lives is a blank check in your hand, how will you spend us, Jesus? If we seek your Kingdom and righteousness first (Matt.6:33), not seventh, what difference will this make in how we invest 2026?
This life is too short and precious to waste on old hurts and resentments and heaping up more stuff destined for the ash heap. And, more importantly, Jesus, you are too good and beautiful not to know, love, and serve with all our heart and remaining days. So Very Amen.