Ideas for 2020

Can you believe 2019 is almost gone already?!

I don't normally make resolutions for the new year, but I do try to set a few goals for myself such as memorizing portions of Scripture, going over what I have already memorized often enough to keep it memorized, spending a certain amount of time in prayer each day/week, completing a crochet project I'm currently working on and finishing X number of others, etc. I try to keep them realistic although sometimes I am not as successful as I had hoped, but I do enjoy having a reachable goal to work towards.

Another thing I do at the end of one year is pick a verse or portion of Scripture for my theme through the next year. I also sometimes assign a character quality to each month; for instance January may be contentment, February could be joyfulness, March patience, and so on. Sometimes I won't feel particularly "tested" on the month's character quality, but other times I definitely have opportunities to work on the selected character quality. I have actually really enjoyed doing this the past few years, although I am sure I could reassign the exact same qualities that I used in 2019 for 2020 and feel like they were "all new."

Some years I find verses and a hymn to go along with the quality I am working on each month. A month may be something like this:

November:
Character quality: Joyfulness
Verse: Psalm 118:24, Philippians 4:4
Hymn: Joy In Serving Jesus

One year I split the families in our church up by family(ies) per month and prayed for them "extra" that month. Of course, I tried not to pray less than I had been for any other family, but I would write the family(ies) a note letting know that I was praying specifically for them that month and asking if they had any special prayer request I could join them in praying about. You can do this with extended family and missionaries too.

I hope this post does not sound boastful, but rather gives you a few ideas to think about for 2020. I would love to hear what you do at the end/beginning of a year. Your resolutions or goals?

Glory to God in the Highest!

Glory to God in the Highest!

Many, many years ago,

A star shone on earth below,

Proclaiming Messiah’s birth,

A night of peace and of mirth,

Angles to shepherds appeared,

At the sight the herdsmen feared,

His praise the heav’nly host sang,

With their song the heavens rang;

Glory to God in the Highest!

The earth shall no more weep and mourn,

Glory to God in the Highest!

Unto us a Savior is born!

The wisemen came from afar,

Guided by His natal star.

Gold, frankincense, myrrh to bring;

Gifts for a child, yet a King,

A King indeed! Son of God,

Yet as man on earth He trod,

He came His Word to fulfill,

And obey His Father’s will,

Hosanna, Son of the Highest!

Healing the sick, the blind, the lame,

Hosanna, Son of the Highest!

Glory, praise, and laud to His name.

With selfless love for others,

He served sisters and brothers,

He washed His apostles’ feet;

As every need He did meet,

At the garden He did pray—

Knowing it was His last day,

On His back our stripes were laid,

With His blood our debts were paid,

Spotless Lamb, our Lord and Savior!

Innocent yet condemned to die.,

Spotless Lamb, our Lord and Savior!

Now lifted up in heav’n on high!

After the veil he had rent,

A Comforter he hath sent:

To guide us to do His will;

And preserve us from ill,

And when He shall come again,

To judge the souls of men,

Oh, that He not find us slack!

As His grace we do not lack,

The Lord, he is the Good Shepherd!

He giveth His life for the sheep,

The Lord, he is the Good Shepherd!

Blessed are the souls in His keep!

H. R

His Abundant Love

I was reading my devotions one morning recently and a portion of Scripture hit me in a new way. Isn't it marvelous how the Holy Spirit can use God's word, written thousands of years ago, to speak to us on a daily basis? It an amazing thing, and this is why we need to be in the Word daily.

I was reading in Luke 17, "And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,  And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?  There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger."

Now consider this. While God was fully man, He was still fully God as well, so He knew ahead of time what the 9 would do. To human reasoning (if we could've known their reaction ahead of time and had power to heal) we would think their ingratitude so ridiculous that we most likely wouldn't even heal them at all.  In this hypothetical, personally and to my shame, I think my thoughts would be, "If you can't even say thanks, then I don't need to heal you either." True agape love is the reason here.  What love for mankind Jesus had! Can you imagine how He feels when we claim His name (as Christians) and then deprive men of some need merely because of the way they treat us? Truthfully, we cannot in our own frame and finite strength love men with such love -- not without another source flowing through us. That source is Christ Himself. When we're thankful in our hearts for all He's done for us, and when we're earnestly striving to please Him, this love will be possible. Think of the lives you can touch when you let Christ's love flow through you? Think of the consequences when you don't. 

As I thought on this, a previous chapter I had read suddenly popped to mind. In chapter 10;
 "And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?  He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?  And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise."

I dare say most of us are breaking the Ten Commandments on a regular basis. If we're to love our neighbor as ourselves, and people as the one the Samaritan helped are our neighbors, then how do we measure up? Are we the Levite or priest that passed by? 

Jesus said over and over again throughout the Gospels that we are to help those who cannot help us in return. If we only give to those of whom we hope to receive, then Christ says we're no better than publicans and sinners. Often we are much more eager to receive the blessings of men rather than of God. Which do you think is better? Luke 14:14 says, " And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just."
God's blessing far exceeds any reward or thanks that mankind could offer.

Remember, God's love flowing through us is a well that never runs dry. Our own feeble affection cannot measure up, and we will quickly grow weary if we depend on it to see us through. This Christmas let a deeper meaning of "goodwill and peace to men" sink into our hearts.

The Meaning of Words

Our pastor wrote this in December's bulletin, and I found it to be a very good point.

From our pastor.....
We often look to a dictionary or lexicon for insight into the words we find in Scripture. This is necessary, especially for some of the "old" words in our KJV Bible. Most times, we find several meanings and the context of the word determines which meaning is appropriate. But there is more to understanding the full meaning of words.
For example, the full meaning of AGAPE, translated as "love" or "charity" is not found in the dictionary but in the whole life of the Lord Jesus Christ. The word finds its fullest meaning at the cross.
Another word that is better defined by Scripture is the word: MEEKNESS.  The free dictionary; "A disposition to be patient and longsuffering, subdeudness, humility,...a lack of false pride." BUT also it has the nuance of "spinelessness--the quality of lacking a strong character; an irresolute disposition."
These definitions show the change in meaning over time: "meekness" in our day is not seen as a virtue. In the Bible, Moses and Jesus are said to be MEEK--patient and forbearing under provocation. But I think (just like with AGAPE) the lives of Moses and Jesus define the word "Meekness" in greater detail: "Meekness is self control under provocation and rejection; using your strength and abilities to serve others."