We have come to the end of another year. What did last year bring you? Was it great joy? There were some who got married. Some had children. Some changed jobs. Some saw their children graduate. Others welcomed new grandchildren to their homes. Some became disciples of Jesus. The list goes on.

For others it was a year of sadness. Some lost their jobs. Some said goodbye to their loved ones as they departed this life. Some had accidents they are dealing with that left them dealing with pain—daily. Some had serious illness attack their body. And some gave up the Christian life to follow the god of this world. (2 Cor. 4:4) Again, the list goes on.

For the Christian, there is one constant in all of this. That is that Jesus is at the center of their lives. A person can deal with most things if they have support. Jesus is that support. As the words of the song say, "Without Him I could do nothing; without Him I’d surely fail. Without Him I would be drifting like a ship without a sail. Without Him I would be dying; without Him I’d be enslaved. Without Him life would be hopeless, but with Jesus, thank God, I’m saved." (Mylon R. LeFevre)

When good things happen in our lives we can thank Jesus. When bad things happen we can call upon Him and know He will be with us. Sadly, some people believe that God has left them, or won’t forgive them, and so they have departed from Him. Does any of this describe you?

We have a brand new year in front of us. So far there are neither joys or heartaches. What will this year bring for you? No one knows. But with Jesus we can handle anything that comes our way.

The chorus of the song says, "Jesus, O Jesus, Do you know Him today? You can’t turn Him away. O Jesus! O Jesus! Without Him how lost I would be." Today you must put God first in your life if you haven’t been. Today you can experience the gift that He has promised. Let me say, however, that does not mean every day will be "sunshine." But when the dark clouds come, He will be with you every step of the way. That gives me—and it should you—great confidence.