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So we are nearing the end of January 2025, and it has already been an eventful year. We experienced crippling snowfalls all over the US, even in the extreme south. The flip side of that is the horrible wildfires in California that have caused so much damage and loss.
In the midst of all of this, a new president was inaugurated and hit the ground running with policies and renamings. And to top it all off, a crazy bird flu has caused egg prices to go up over five times what they were in 2024, making some smaller establishments remove eggs completely from their menu.
Yes, 2025 is wasting no time in making its presence felt. With such a start, many are fearful of what’s in store for the year ahead. I must say, although this is a crazy beginning – snow on the beach is cray cray – I am optimistic about 2025, especially as far as the Lord goes.
At the beginning of each year, we have a vision service at our church. It is a service in which the pastor tells us what is to come and brings us up to speed on what has happened the year before. The message was good and I’m excited about what is to come in our church, but as I sat there listening, something stirred in me that really didn’t just have to do with our local church, and it was so uplifting.
As we look at the world around us, we can often get discouraged. Natural disasters, war, a country divided, etc. I think this is the evil one keeping the chaos stirred up and keeping our vision of the world bleak and dark. But as I sat there listening to what is to come for my church, light broke through that darkness, and I was impressed with the fact that Jesus is on the move, not just at church, but all over.
My mind drifted to one of my favorite books as a kid, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. If you know anything about the author, you know he was Christian and his fictional stories were filled with Christian metaphors. In this particular story, the White Witch has made it always winter (dark and bleak) in the land of Narnia. However, the representation of Jesus was a lion named Aslan. He would be their savior and free the land from the White Witch’s grasp. As rumor spread that Aslan was coming, characters in the book would say, “Aslan is on the move.”
I’m sure my brain went here because my mind was flooded with things recently that have shown me Jesus is on the move in our world today. For instance, Unite Us is a college campus evangelistic movement that really started in 2023 at Auburn University, but it continues to run strong, and near the end of 2024 went to Texas A&M, Florida, Mississippi State and South Carolina, all D1 schools..
It is no secret that Christianity often comes under fire at major universities. Many young people face challenges in keeping their faith as they head off to college. Yet, here we have a movement over the past two years that has seen so many reignite their faith or start a faith in Jesus right on those very campuses that have been a challenge. Jesus is on the move!
To go right along with that, look at the college athletes who have taken their time in the “spotlight” to praise and honor their Lord and Savior. The Oklahoma women’s softball team, the most dominant team in any sport, has time and time again given the credit to Jesus and the fact that they know they are living for something much bigger than themselves or winning. They are living for Christ.
Or most recently, after their national championship game Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard, in his post-game press conference, told reporters that before he answered questions he wanted to thank his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He also talked in that same press conference about praising the Lord not just in the highs, but also in the lowest of lows. Statements on this national level show Jesus is on the move!
It doesn’t stop there. Recently I saw a social media interview with Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud in which he discussed how the words that come out of his mouth can hurt his witness. He said that proclaiming he loves God and then letting a bunch of curse words fly doesn’t make sense; it’s hypocritical. What a witness.
I know that C.J.’s words convicted me, because I’ve struggled with the same things when I get angry or heated. It doesn’t matter if you’re 18, 53, or 86 – if you follow Jesus, you need to tame your tongue and here is a leader, a quarterback at the top level, telling you he struggles with this and knows he must be better. Jesus is on the move!
As a high school teacher, I look around and am amazed at how so many are willing to share their faith. God seems to be equipping this younger generation with the message of Matthew 28 to go and make disciples of all nations. What in so many ways looks like a bleak time may just be the time that the young, the vibrant, stand up for God and proclaim they belong to Him as we all should.
Will 2025 bring this kind of revival to our land? I don’t know for sure, but one thing I do know: Jesus is on the move, and He’s moving through the young people in our world. The difference they are making can be seen throughout our country and our world. It may not look like you envisioned, it may not look like it has in the past, but Jesus is moving and that is a hope we should all get behind. Until next time…
Hey Noah – We are seeing some of the same things. God is usingTrump.Jeanette and have watched a lot of news the last 10 days. In recent years almost no one referred to God in a positive way on TV news. THe last 10 days it happens over and over again – at least on FOX. It is a hopeful sign!
For sure!
That’s great. Thanks for the comment. Hope things are well back in FLA.