As the world moves into a new year, we focus on the need to discern where we stand in God’s timeline of events—and to how we should live in response. Global events and conditions show history accelerating, and we should be attuned to that. Yet we must also recognize that the final calamities to usher in the return of Jesus Christ are not immediate. The dominant position of the United States on the world stage and other key factors tell us there is some time remaining. As this issue explains, that reality calls for vigilance, not complacency. We need to use whatever time we have carefully, keeping first things first, actively preparing for the Kingdom of God by living faithfully today—and to continue choosing wisely.