New Years Resolutions

Most New Year's Resolutions are made for the purpose of making oneself better. There are many ways to accomplish being better on some personal level. Let me suggest something that can be done that will certainly help anyone to feel better about themselves. Resolve to do things that will make others feel better. Who do you know that you can help on a regular basis?

Sherri and I have been going to see two older couples who are members of our church. One of the male spouses has Alzheimer’s and is in a nursing home. The other male spouse is still at home and at the least has some form of dementia. He and his wife do come to church when they can. He has a breathing problem and is limited in what he is able to do. I enjoy going to see these lovely people. The men, of course, never remember me. Even when I’m talking to them they ask me several times where I lived, if I have any children and how many grandkids I have. They both tell me the same stories over and over. They both still have a sense of humor so I can joke and get a laugh out of them. Their wives seem to appreciate our visits. Sherri talks to them while I talk to the men. We stay and visit for  about an hour. We always enjoy those visits.

Today Sherri and I went down to Elizabethtown, Kentucky to see our dear friends from way back in the ‘70's. Our friend Gary has Alzheimer’s. Each time we go to visit we wonder if he will still know us. He did know us this time, but we could tell that he is declining. Back at the beginning of his disease he told his grandchildren that one day he would not remember who they are, but they would remember who he is. He said please continue to come and see me even though I won’t know you. A person will never get to a point that they don’t want someone to acknowledge them by paying them a visit.

I happen to know that visiting people who are ill, and not as active as they once were receive great joy from our visits or even a phone call. I also happen to know that going to see people like this even if it is only for an hour a couple times a month will give you great joy, and make you proud of yourself that you have helped lift someone’s spirits. Whatever we do for others is just as if we have done it for our Lord.

Silence After theStorm

Silence can be peaceful. Since retirement I have been able to enjoy the stillness of the early morning. All I hear is the steady ticking of the mantle clock and its hourly chime. The silence welcomes me to a place where I can meet God and talk to him. Silence is peaceful. Silence is a good friend. Silence is conducive to prayer. “Be still and know that I am God,” the Bible says. In the quiet moments of knowing He is God, He speaks giving thoughts and encouragement for the day. My time with Him is filled with inspiration just for me and also plenty to share with others. It is only when my heart is still that true silence visits. The still quiet heart is the threshold to the Lord’s presence. That quiet place is where all the wrongs are made right and the raging storms are tamed. If you listen you might hear, or at least sense, that calming voice speak His stern command, “Peace be still.” Yes, silence can be very peaceful and comforting! Very peaceful!

Away From Home at Christmas

One of the popular Christmas songs that we enjoy at this time of the year is "I'll Be Home for Christmas". Christmas is the only time of the year that some people make it home to be with family. Something very important would be missing if they were not able to spend time with their loved ones during Christmas. Every Christmas there are families who will be spending their first Christmas without a member of the family who has died since the last Christmas. For these families Christmas may be very sad. Yet, they can find peace in knowing that if that departed family member knew Jesus he or she is in heaven.

Jesus was born so that your loved one could go there. That is why we sing of joy and peace. As I consider all that happens during this time of the year I am impressed by the fact that there will be many people who will not be with their families this year. Because of their absence from family they may have a difficult time enjoying Christmas.

There are specifically two groups of people that I want to mention who will be away from home this year, soldiers and missionaries. They are far away in other lands, some defending our country and others sharing the gospel with those who have never heard of Jesus. For many of these dedicated people the living conditions are not very good. Some are putting their lives on the line. Some are in danger of persecution. These are brave people who have dedicated their lives to a great cause. They will not be home for Christmas.

Being away from home is biblical. On the first Christmas the shepherds were out in the field. Mary and Joseph were away from home in a town called Bethlehem. The wise men were traveling from the east on their way to see Jesus. And most importantly, Jesus had left his heavenly home of glory to come to a world of sin so that you and I might be freed from sin and have eternal life.

It is not easy being far from home, especially at Christmas. Let me encourage you to pray for our soldiers and missionaries. I have some friends and acquaintances who are missionaries. Jenny is in China. Tracey, Paul and their three children are in Italy. Michael, Angela and their three children are in Georgia which is a former state of Soviet Russia. Tim, Jennifer and their three children are in Peru. There are many more that I am sure you know. Pray for these missionaries and those in the military who are away from home this Christmas. Ask God to fill them with his presence and encourage them during this Christmas while they are away from their families.

God’s A Group

Going into the eighth grade after a terrible year in the seventh grade was going to be like a breath of fresh air. Changing classes, getting to have class with my best friends, and getting away from a teacher who didn’t seem to like me, and who told me I would never amount to anything was going to make my eighth grade year much more enjoyable. I had not done well scholastically in the seventh grade. I knew I had to do better, and with a new start with new teachers, and being with my friends there was no doubt that I would.

I was excited to get to school on my first day as an eighth grade student. My home room teacher was Miss Moore. I knew I would like her. When I got to her room I quickly noticed that I was the first one of my gang of friends to arrive. I sat down and watched as more students entered the room. The room was filling up and none of my friends had appeared. Not a one of them showed up. It wasn’t long before the principal came in to explain the “new system” for the eighth grade. He said that eighth students were place into three groups. The homeroom for the A group was for those students who had the best grades from their previous years. My homeroom was the B group. We were the students who had average grades over the past few years. Then there was the C group which had not done very well scholastically and would need to move at a slower pace.

I was certainly glad I wasn’t placed in the C group. But I was very disappointed that I wasn’t in the A group with my best friends, especially when I learned that the students in my homeroom would be in every class together. This meant that I would spend another year not having class with my friends. However, there was hope. The principal said that if any of us in the B homeroom could bring our average up to the average of those in the A homeroom we could begin going to class with that group. This was like holding a big juicy steak in front of a hungry dog. I wanted that steak, and I was going to get it!

I worked very hard and after two grading periods I had raised my grade average enough that I was allowed to go to class with the A group. I remained in the B homeroom, but for the rest of that year I attended class with my friends. That made me happy, but the best thing about all of this was that I had achieved my goal, and I had proved my old seventh grade teacher wrong. Maybe I would amount to something someday.

To be left out is one of the biggest disappointment anyone can have. Being left out breaks our hearts. Everyone wants to be included in the good things of life. We want to be able to live life to the fullest. Most people don’t understand what living life to the full is. No one needs to be left out when it come to achieving a life filled with joy, happiness, peace, hope and security. Everyone of us can have this kind of life, and it is free. We get this life from Jesus Christ. The Bible says that “he loves us, and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 1:5-6

We don’t need to be left out of God’s A group. If we believe that Jesus died on a cross as the perfect sacrifice to save us from our sins, that he arose from the grave, and lives as King over all the earth we can have eternal life in heaven. Trusting in Jesus Christ as you personal Savior will assure you that you will not be left out when this life is over. There has never been disappointment like the tragic disappointment that will come from being left out of God’s A group. God loves every person, and he sent Jesus to earth on Christmas Day so that anyone who believes might not perish but have eternal life. Accept Jesus today.

The Submissive Lamb

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter and a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. Isaiah 53:7

This verse is talking about Jesus; the same Jesus who is God. Why did Jesus allow himself to be oppressed and afflicted? Why was he silent? Why did he allow weak humans whom he created do such horrible things to him?

Jesus was willing to relent and submit to the wickedness of sinful man so that he could save man from this sin which was destroying the world and every human. The only way man could be saved was for a humble Savior to become that sacrificial Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus had to die for this to happen. So he did not offer any defense for the false accusations made against him. Even as he was being beaten and mocked he remained silent. He willingly made his way to the cross where he would take the punishment for our sins. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21. Sinless, innocent God the Son, paid that terrible price to redeem us from all our sin.

Why? Why did Jesus allow himself to become the sacrificial Lamb. Because he loves us! That sacrifice began when Jesus came to us as a human baby on Christmas Day. He left his throne in heaven to become Immanuel, which means God with us. He became the most humble being of all humanity. He came in weakness as a baby to a poor family and lived in poverty as a servant until he ascended back to heaven where he assumed his place in glory. Man is no match for Satan’s relentless attacks. Only God himself can defeat Satan. Satan was defeated when Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave. In this, God gave us the power to overcome the evil one if we believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

When Time Was Perfect

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

“In the beginning” — the beginning of what?

Answer — Time

The first thing that God created was time. As was all of God’s creation, time was very good; it was perfect. Adam and Eve were pleased with all the time they were given. They no doubt loved the beauty of the sunrises and the sunsets. I’m sure they adored the changing of the seasons. Never were they presented with any problems due to time constraints because there were none.

But then one day they disobeyed God. Their sin changed the whole earth. Man's sin defiled everything that God had created, even time. Before they sinned Eve was never late. Adam never missed an appointment with God or Eve. The two of them had no occasion to argue or fight over time wasted. No one ever concluded that they didn’t have enough time. Nobody was ever stressed out because they were not going to be able to meet a deadline.

The troubles caused by sin affected time has only gotten worse over the ages. Today in our fast paced society lives are ruined because of the misuse of time. Stress, anger, misunderstanding and even tragedy, plague our lives because we have not used our  time wisely. We have become a people who rush, rush, rush! We ourselves, or a boss, a teacher, or a spouse overestimate what we are capable of doing in a too short amount of time. Therefore jobs are lost, promising deals go down the drain, students fail a course, spouses fight, and children are punished. Think of the exceptionally large number of people today who have had nervous breakdowns simply because they could not cope with the pressure they were under due to having so much to do and not enough time to do it.

God did not mean for any of us to live under the stress of time restraints. He created us to enjoy our time dealing with the  important things which fulfill his plan for each of us. Even today God will give us joy in our use of the time he has given us. He has given us all the time we need to do the things he wants us to do. We just need to set our clocks within His beautiful time zone.

“God has made everything BEAUTIFUL in his time….Ecclesiastes 3:11

What Do You Like

I don’t like raw onions or raw beets or raw tomatoes. In fact I don’t like any raw vegetables. I don’t like getting old, or having to take so much medicine. There are many things I don’t like. But I know that people don’t care what I don’t like, and they just as soon not hear my negative bellyaching. A spokesman for a car dealership here in the Raleigh area always ends his ads by saying, “Don’t tell me what you won’t do! Tell me what you will do!” To borrow from this ad wouldn’t it be better if everyone would be of a mind to adopt the mantra, “Don’t tell me what you don’t like! Tell me what you do like!”

There are many spouses who need to hear from their partner what they like about them, certainly not what they don’t like. Every child should hear over and over positive comments about themselves  from their parents. Too many children rarely receive the affirmation from their parents that will help them develop a good self image. Friends need to hear a lot of “that a boys or that a girls” from their friends. We see people everyday who simply need a smile, a kind word or a compliment. What’s wrong with telling someone, “You have a beautiful smile, or I like your dress, suit, coat or whatever.” Our positive body language may go a long way in making someone feel better about themselves. Try to be positive!

Hey! Did you know that I like good old homemade cornbread crumbled up in a cold glass of milk? I love peanut butter. I love my beautiful wife, and I really like being with my friends. Now, isn’t that better. Maybe you don’t care about that either, but it sure makes me feel better. Don’t tell others what you don’t like! Tell them what you do like.