Alpha and Omega

Almost all of us have made New Year’s resolutions: save money, take a trip, find a boyfriend or girlfriend, buy a car, go back to college, exercise, get out of debt, start a business, and on and on. Most of these resolutions are really a reaction to the chaos we ended the previous year in: the extra pounds, the maxed-out credit card (because Santa Claus does not exist), the loneliness of “Christmas without you,” the January slump, and everything else we drag into a fresh calendar.

Since we are standing at the beginning of the year, let’s go all the way back to the very beginning: Genesis 1:1-4 (NIV).

In the Beginning

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

God is the beginning of all things. It does not matter how creation unfolded, or which instruments and mechanisms God used to make it happen. It is like the beginning of your own life: it does not matter whether you arrived by way of a stork, a cabbage patch, a package from Paris, or a miscalculation by your parents. Whether your birth was planned, unexpected, the fruit of sin, or an outright miracle, what matters is that God is the One who began your life when He breathed His breath into that microscopic being.

As this year begins, recognize that it is God who, in His mercy, is giving you the chance to live it.

Empty, Formless, and Chaotic

“Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

Beginnings are often chaotic and empty. Picture a blank canvas, ready for Bob Ross to paint. At first it is just empty. Then he starts: a strange brown splotch here, a sky-blue smear there, and there is always a moment when you think, “This man has ruined everything.” But in the end, a stunning landscape appears. For Bob, it was only ever a matter of time.

Building a house starts much the same way: an empty lot, a pile of sand, holes in the ground, dust everywhere, and people at work. To the engineer, it too is only a matter of time.

That is how God works. Today He is beginning a new blank year with us, full of mercy and opportunity. But maybe the start of your year is more than empty; maybe it is in disarray: debts, conflicts, wounds, illnesses, sins, addictions, chains. Think of all the things you have promised God a thousand times you would change: your attitude, your language, the habit of lying, laziness at work, hidden sin, the way you live out your sexuality, the way you respond to God’s love through service.

That is your chaos. A messy, maybe empty beginning. So ask yourself: what is missing? What did you long to receive this Christmas that money could not buy? A hug from a relative who has not spoken to you in years? A new job? The warmth of someone who loves you exactly as you are?

Let There Be Light

“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”

There is nothing worse than stumbling through a cluttered room in the dark. It is like getting up at midnight to go to the bathroom and finding the whole path from your bed booby-trapped: the laptop bag, the pants you peeled off last night, phone charging cables, the pizza box, the pizza cutter, the banana peel from dessert, and everything else you left on the floor. The first thing you need is light.

That is what God did first. He switched on the light of creation. Scientists tell us that when light came into being, time and space began with it, along with the natural laws that govern the universe.

Today is a day for that word to be fulfilled in you at the start of the year:

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

Isaiah 9:2 (NIV)

The first thing you need is Light. And yet some people would rather keep walking in the darkness, surrounded by the mess:

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

John 3:19–21 (NIV)

What will you choose in this new year: to walk in light or in darkness?

Separating Light from Darkness

“God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.”

Of course light is good. Walking hand in hand with God is far better than anything the world offers. But light was never meant to coexist comfortably with darkness. There is only one way to separate the two:

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Isaiah 60:1–3 (NIV)

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said:

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

John 8:12 (NIV)

And in the book of Revelation (NIV):

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

Revelation 22:1–5 (NIV)

It is Jesus who separates light from darkness. What place will you give Him in this new year?

Alpha and Omega

How can we finish the year with the same surrender we began it with? How do we keep from losing heart along the way? The key is this: Jesus must be our Beginning and our End.

Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.

Revelation 22:12–16 (NIV)

“Alpha and Omega” means that Jesus is our Beginning and our End. It also means He is our first thought in the morning and our last conversation before bed. It means He is present all through the day, in every decision. What would Jesus do? What would please and honor Him?

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all peoples on earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.

Revelation 1:5–8 (NIV)

May Jesus be your Alpha and Omega, your beginning and your end, in this new year. Let Him guide your steps, light your path, and become the center of every decision. Choose to walk in the light, and embrace the fullness of life that only He can offer.