Jesus is the master of parables, those earthly stories with heavenly meanings. One of His most famous is the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4), where the good seed is spread across four different soils. But perhaps more profound than the parable itself is a revelation Jesus gives to His disciple before He explains it.

And He said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables.” (Mark 4:11, ESV)

Wow, the disciple of Jesus is in on the secret of the kingdom of God! What a tremendous privilege is given to the Christian. Be humbled, fellow believers by that thought. Yet, if you are not a disciple, if you are outside the kingdom, EVERYTHING is “in parables” says Jesus. All the teachings of Jesus seem cryptic and hard to grasp to you.

Does true spirituality seem puzzling to you? Then I suggest you become a disciple of Jesus, and gain the Spirit’s help in understanding the Word of God — and understanding all things by it. To know Jesus is to know life — and have light for living.

I imagine the expression “at the crossroads” comes from the common scene, in the city or the country, of two roads or paths intersecting one another. A crossroads presents the traveler with a choice: turn, or continue on ahead. Even if one is planning to go straight through, a crossroads usually requires you to slow down, or even stop, to watch for traffic, and verify the way you should go. So a crossroads provides the traveler with a moment, long or short, for reflection, evaluation, choice and – possibly – change. The dictionary includes this as one primary definition for crossroads: a point at which a crucial decision must be made which will have far-reaching consequences.

It seems to me that the simple change from the old to a new year is like a crossroads. Of course you cannot “go back” or avoid entering the new year, Continue reading →