Proverbs 16:3 - New Years Thought's

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do and He will establish your plans.”

Proverbs 16:3

For months we anticipate Christmas and before we know it is over. We then have six days and we celebrate the New Year. 2014 may have been a good or bad year for you. The good news is that 2015 can be a new start and a new beginning for you. Your slate starts out wiped clean. Seek some time with the Lord today. See if He wants you to make any changes this coming year. He is your God and He knows best. He may want to bless you spiritually, so that you can grow in Him. He may encourage you to spend some time with Him each and every day. He may encourage you to read His Word daily. He may encourage you to get plugged into a bible study. He also may have you share your faith with others more. He may show you that your heart is wrong and that you need to forgive someone that has wronged you or someone you love. He doesn’t want you to start the New Year off with a grudge or holding ill-willed feelings towards anyone. He wants you to have a pure heart, one that He can flow through. He may also want you to develop some godly friendships this year. He may want to give you a circle of friends that will enrich your lives. Be open to what He wants to do in you. Be sensitive to His Spirit. He also may want you to try to get healthier this coming year. He may tell you what you should be eating and what you can do to get some more exercise. Our body is the Holy Spirit’s temple. His Spirit abides in us. He wants us to be healthy so we can fulfill His plans for our lives. On our own we won’t be able to make these positive changes in our lives. With the Lord’s help we can. All we have to do is surrender and to ask Him to give us the breakthroughs that we need. He is willing and He is able.

Father, we thank You for being our Lord and Savior. 2014 is almost over. 2015 is about to begin. May You bless us this coming year. Reveal to us any changes You want us to make and help us to stick with them. We want to offer up to You our lives. We surrender to You and Your will. May our lives make a difference in those around us and may 2015 truly be a “Happy New Year!” In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.  

Luke 13:5 - Repent or Perish

Today’s Thought is taken from All to Jesus by Robert J. Morgan.

“No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish.”

Luke 13:5

Years ago while working with the Billy Graham Crusades, I remember hearing Mr. Graham tell of a European performer who could juggle anything—pins, balls, flaming torches. He astounded both royalty and commoners, and was the star of the circus and the life of the party. Growing older, this man decided to move to America, and he hit upon a novel scheme of converting his wealth into portable form. He sold his home, cashed in his accounts, and purchased a beautiful jewel. It represented all he had. Materially speaking, his entire life was contained in that jewel. One day aboard deck, he offered to amuse his fellow passengers. Taking the stone, he tossed it into the air and caught it. He tossed it again, this time a little higher. His audience gasped as it glittered and gleamed in the sunlight. With absolute confidence in his abilities, the juggler threw it higher into the air. It flew upward as straight as an arrow, glittering in the sunshine. Suddenly the ship lurched, and the jewel plunged into the water and sank to the bottom of the ocean. He had gambled with the totality of his life and lost. It is possible to gain the whole world but lose our own souls; that’s why Jesus preached repentance. If we do not turn from our sins to Him, we gamble with our eternal destiny.

While we of every sin repent,

Let our remaining years be spent

In holiness and sweet content

--Ancient Greek Hymn

Galatians 6:10 - Be mindful to be a blessing

“Be mindful to be a blessing, especially to those of the household of faith.”

Galatians 6:10

God loved us so much that He saved us. He didn’t save us so that we could be selfish and do whatever we want whenever we want all the day long. He saved us so that we can worship Him and serve Him and others with His love. He wants us to be mindful to be a blessing. Jesus got up every morning and spent time with His father, worshipping Him. After being with Him, He was led to serve and minister to others in various ways. It is so important that we spend time with God each and every day. The morning time is the best time but that isn’t possible for everyone. Just be sure to give God some attention during the day so He can lead you in what He wants You to do. Jesus told His disciples that the greatest in the kingdom of heaven is the servant of all. How can we serve if we aren’t in tune with Him so we can be led. Listen to people and you will hear what their needs are. God will often use you to meet those needs. That’s often why God allows us to hear them say their needs in the first place.

     

Father, thank You for saving us. Thank You for calling us to serve You and others with Your love. We want to be mindful to be a blessing, especially to those of the household of faith.  Help us to be like Jesus. We want to worship You and then be led to serve and minister to others in various ways. In Jesus’ name we pray. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Matthew 2:11 - God provides if you are in the center of His will

“they presented to Him gifts—gold and frankincense and myrrh.”

Matthew 2:11

One lesson we can glean from the Christmas story is that if we are in the center of God’s will … He will provide for us. Mary and Joseph were in the center of God’s will when the wise men from the East came to worship the King. They presented Jesus with gold, frankincense and myrrh. Mary and Joseph didn’t have to go around seeking financial blessings and provisions. It came to them. The same will happen for us if we stay in line with the will of God for our lives. Remain faithful to Him. The Word tells us what God expects of His children. Do what He wills. He has called each of us to do something for Him. Know what He has called and gifted you to do and then do it … with joy. There’s no need to worry or fret about your future if you are living for Him. God will take care of you.

Father, keep us in the center of Your will. May we not live apart from You. We thank You that we don’t need to worry or fret about our future because we are living for You. You will take care of us and our needs. You will provide for us just as You did for Mary, Joseph and Jesus those many years ago. You are great. We love and appreciate You and all that You do and are. In Jesus’ name we pray. Ame

John 12:46 - Christmas Eve thoughts

“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness.”

John 12:46 (NIV)

In the Middle Ages people did not know how to read. Since the people did not know how to read they often held plays to teach biblical truths. The play they put on during the Christmas season was always about Adam and Eve. You may be wondering what Adam and Eve had to do with Christmas. The play started with apples hung on an evergreen tree. Germany had no apple trees so they used an evergreen tree with apples tied to it. Adam and Eve had decided to disobey the voice and will of the Lord and ate fruit from the tree of life. They chose to rebel and their relationship with God changed significantly. They immediately went into hiding. God went looking for them. He removed them from the garden of Eden. Since this day sin has been with mankind. That is why we experience death in the world. Romans 6:23 tells us that “the wages of sin is death.” But how can our sin be paid for? Who could make us clean again? God had a plan. For there was only one way he could save us and reconcile us to himself and this is through His only begotten Son. At Christmas we celebrate Jesus’ birth. It pays Adam and Eve’s debt. It pays our debts as well. Jesus came, lived a holy, faultless life. He died on the cross. This paid for our sin once and for all. Why was there an apple on the evergreen tree during the Middle Ages? It was to remind us of our sinful choices. Why do we put lights on our Christmas trees? It is to signify the light of the world. John 12:46 says “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness.” We have three colors that are used mainly at Christmas. They are red, green, and white. These colors signify different things. The color red signifies the forbidden fruit as well as Christ’s blood that he shed on the cross. The color green signifies the tree of life. And the color white signifies Jesus, the light of the world. The play that they put on in the Middle Ages was spiritually good for the people. They could understand and comprehend the true meaning of Christmas. Just hearing about their play can help us believers today understand the connection between the Old and New Testaments. Tonight is Christmas Eve. I encourage you to go to a Christmas Eve service somewhere. God will bless you for it and it will remind you of the true meaning of Christmas and what Christmas is all about.

Father, thank You for reminding us of Adam and Eve and how sin entered the world. Thank You for sending Your only begotten Son. That whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. You are such a good and wonderful God. We love You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Acts 20:35 - It is more blessed to give than to receive

You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Acts 20:35

Many of Jesus’ words were recorded in the four gospels. Today’s verse shows us that not all of them were written down. Some of them were passed around by word of mouth. Luke mentions in Acts 20:35 that Jesus informed them that “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” I can totally relate with that. This Christmas I had so much fun picking out gifts for my family. My excitement level was so high that I lost some sleep at night because I was thinking while I lay upon my bed just how happy I was to give so and so this and that. I knew they would be so excited when they saw what I had gotten for them. I also knew it would make them feel special, loved. God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says “You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don’t give relunctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully.” Giving cheerfully brings joy to the giver. This joy overflows. We don’t have to give a lot. A small gift with much meaning can mean so much to the receiver. Be a good receiver. Think about all the love that went into the gift. Be sure to give thanks to the Lord with what He has blessed you with through them. And last, but not least, remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. Also remember that He is the best gift of all.

Father, it truly is all about You. You are the reason for the season. You shared Your Son to take away the sins of the world. Thank You, Lord, for Your gift. Jesus truly is the best gift of all. In the spirit of giving we thank You that we are able to share with others Your love for them as well. Use our love for others and our gifts for them to bless them and make them feel loved. May our generosity and thoughtfulness let them know that they are special to us and that we love and appreciate them. May they even feel Your love for them too. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.  

1 John 2:16 - Be careful little eyes, what you see

“For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but of this world.”

1 John 2:16

The world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Lord. They are from this evil world. Wordliness is from this evil world as well. It begins in the heart. We are born again. We should live this way. Our lifestyle should reflect Whose we are. We are the temple of His Holy Spirit. He has put His divine nature within us. We are to keep the internal part of us clean and pure. One of these ways we can do this is by feasting our eyes only on good things. The song we learned in our childhood still rings through. “Oh be careful little eyes what we see. Oh be careful little eyes what we see. For the Father up above is looking down below. Oh be careful little eyes what we see.” The song goes on and warns us to be careful where we go, what our hands do, what we say, and what we hear. God’s Word even tells us to be careful what we think about. Philippians 4:8 says “Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” To think on these good things you have to be surrounded with good things. This is why it is important to read the Word, daily devotionals, and wholesome books. This is why it is important to only watch clean shows on television. This is why it is important to listen to Christian music so that you are built up and edified. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. This is also why we should surround ourselves with good, godly people. What comes in us is what will come out in our lives. Make sure what you are putting in You is good.

Father, we thank You for making us a part of Your world. We are in the world, but may we not be of it. May we feast our eyes only on good things. May we go to only good places. May we be careful what we do with our hands, what we say, and what we hear. May we also be careful with what we think. May we fix our thoughts on what is true, honorable, and right. May we think about things that are pure, lovely, and admirable. May we think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. May You bless us with good, godly people to be around. May we read Your Words, daily devotionals, and wholesome books. May we watch clean television. May our music choices be good and acceptable to You. We know that what comes in us is what is going to come out. We reap what we so. May we make sure that what we are putting in us is good. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.