It’s the boxing match of the century. The crowd’s excitement has built up to a deafening roar in anticipation of the contestants coming into the ring. The clock ticks down the remaining minutes. Supporters on both sides are going wild, each taunting the other. The clock buzzes loudly at 0 minutes and the roof lifts off ever-so-slightly as the fever pitch raises just that little bit more. The curtain opens and Contestant #1 flips over the ropes to screaming insults and frenetic heckling. He’s a blue whale, 100’ long, weighing in at 400,000 lbs. People are fainting from the intensity of the atmosphere. Suddenly, the curtain on the other side of the arena opens and Contestant #2 slips under the ropes to yet more crowd mania, cheering and banner-waving. He’s a dwarf minnow, ½” long, weighing in at 0.5 oz. He is the crowd favorite with the purse for this evening being too high for disclosure.
Okay. Enough ridiculous storytelling for New Year’s Day. The point, maybe obvious, maybe well buried within the foolishness, is the ‘match’ being played out before us in 2026, as it was in 2025, and every year preceding. Contestant #2 (Father of lies & deception & death) is the one that all but monopolizes the airwaves, terrorizes all who are seduced by propaganda and conspiracy theories, sensationalizes global debauchery, stretches further and further away from truth and decency boldly proclaiming, yea demanding, the right to do so. The mighty, fearsome, minnow. Meanwhile, the contestant on the other side of the ring (Truth & Love & Grace) smiles with the utmost confidence, knowing to whom go the spoils of this wildly lopsided ‘battle.’ In truth, this is a non-battle, a war already won, its victory decided from Eternity past.
As God’s chosen ones, His beloved, we, too, at the outset of this brand-new year, have full assurance that the war has already been won, that He is with us to the very end of the age. How many times has He commanded us, ‘Do not fear! Do not let your hearts be troubled!’ Jesus, no longer lying in a manger, no longer suffering on a cross, but risen in Glory and seated at the right hand of the Father, having received the Name that is higher than any other name, is preparing his triumphant return as the Conquering One. He lovingly invites us (afresh this year) to find rest in him, basking in the serene awareness of the Truth we proclaim. For the record, I’m resolutely with Contestant #1. A Very Happy New Year, y’all! PD