The New Year

 

     I was thinking about all the miracles our Lord gave to me in 2012.  When I look back on the year as a whole I see plainly how my life has changed for the better due to our Lord's stepping in to guide and clear the path for me.  I see changes that only faith can reveal.  

     I have come a long way in putting life in the hands of our Lord Jesus and not worrying for, as he said, when has worry ever added one day to a person's life.  I still worry, but more and more I am just turning it over to our Lord's guidance and love.  

     I am not perfect, not even close, but our Lord did not come to call the righteous.  Life is not a smooth, level road.  It has many ups and downs, twists and turns.  Our faith helps smooth and level some of the severe areas, but was never meant to completely take these imperfections away.  We learn more from the downs than the ups, and the ups would never be so good were it not for the downs.  Life is a learning adventure.  Learn from it, make use of the lessons to improve yourself. 

     Our Lord is within me, our Lord surrounds me, our Lord is, was, and forever shall be.  He was here before time and the earth began.  Who would you put your trust in...machines, technology, your personal intelligence, or would it be in our Lord and God who is, was, and forever shall be, and through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we shall gain eternal life through faith in him?

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John1:1

 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

     The word was truly our Lord Jesus.  He knows we are not perfect.  He knows the many sins we have committed that is why he came in the flesh and died such a horrible death on that cross.  Our Father, God, loves us unconditionally and wants you to know he is always with you.  Begin to talk with him and come to know and listen and pray and accept his love and let your self and your life begin to improve and influence others. You cannot make it through the tough times alone and you are not alone.  Just pray and have faith and...listen.  Is that not the simplest most beautiful thing you have ever heard?  God always makes things simple.  Man is the entity that makes life so very, very complicated.

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!"

John 8:58

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I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began.

Proverbs 8:23

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"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."

John 8:24 

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Jesus said unto her, I that speak unto you am he.

John 4:26
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So Jesus told them, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own authority. Instead, I speak only what the Father has taught me.
John 8:28
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He replied, "Don't let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah,' and saying, 'The time has come!' But don't believe them.
Luke 21:8
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All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means 'God is with us').
Isaiah 7:14
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"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
Matthew 1:21
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26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27to a virgin betrothed^b to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”^c 29But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

34And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”^d

35And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born^e will be called holy—the Son of God. 36And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant^f of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

 Luke 1

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"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

AMEN

   

A baby is born over 2000 years ago

He came into this world materially poor

He and all others leave it materially poor

Yet, this baby was rich beyond all imagination

Rich spiritually

He was a gift and brought gifts from his and our Father

The greatest gifts mankind can ever possess

Gifts of unconditional love, forgiveness, eternal life

Only one thing he asked in return

Faith...in God, our father, Faith in him, son of God

He performed miracles and loved and loved and loved

He paid for our gifts with a horrible death

Death decreed by his Father that loved him perfectly

Death that led to mankind's rebirth

In death there is life

He was born and died in a mortal body

Then...he was ressurected...the promise, the prophecy fulfilled

Love made complete by the ultimate sacrifice

Remember

Mankind was looking toward the heavens 

Looking for chariots of fire

Looking for armies of angels

When among them appeared a simply dressed carpenter's son

He said, why do you stare at the heavens?

Mankind said, we are looking for God's Messiah

He said humbly, softly, I am here

And He was

And he is still changing the world over 2000 years later

Let us love and serve all

for who knows how He will appear the next time.

 

     At church on Sunday last, we were given a report on the latest India mission trip by the people that made the journey.  We have a regular mission to India and support two children through our Sunday School Class.  We heard some great stories as well as some very disturbing stories.
     We heard a very inspiring and courageous story of a christian in Totopara.  The man coverted to Christianity in a overwhelmingly Hindu area in northern India.  He was cast out by the local officials.  Over a period of six years, he slowly worked his way back to the town little by little.  The entire time he was in danger , but, as our Father has a tendency to do, put his divine arms around him and protected him giving him great success in conversions.  Pray for him.
     From the other side of the spectrum, we heard a story of a young lady that had converted to Christianity and had been murdered by Hindus for that reason.  We know our Father brought her to his Son, our Lord Jesus, for a purpose and took her as a part of that purpose.  We Christians know fully that she is sitting beside our Lord as an honored martyr.  What greater sacrifice to give our Father than to give one's life in his name.  We pray for her family.  When our Father brings people to his son, Jesus, we, as humans, must be prepared for whatever sacrifice he puts upon us.  We in this country are safe and secure from those sacrifices unless we travel out of this country.  Our forefathers were persecuted for their beliefs.  Our Lord gave the world this land so that he may send his persecuted children here to be kept in safety.  Let us never take this for granted.  Our fellow Christians throughout the world are suffering great persecutions for their faith.  Let us pray, support, and go to them in any way we possibly can.  Let us go out as an army armed with the sword of love and faith.   The non-believers never expect the overwhelming power of God's love as a weapon.  His love conquers all things.
     The missionaries said the situation in India is similar to that in the deep south of the United States prior to the Reverend King's movement changing it.  India needs a Reverend King to walk the paths through the dark parts of that country.  Ghandi, such a great man, was against persecution of Christians and Muslims.  He was so close to being a Christian himself.  He walked the ways of a Christian.
     We need to remember our forefather's persecutions and the current world violent persecutions of our brother saints when we interact with Muslims in this country.  They are God's children, also.  He loves them, but has not yet called them to his son, Jesus.  Let us love them as the child of God that they are.  Love always...love without judging.  For love is the gift our Father gave us that when given away increases our own wealth of love.
     Let us honor our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, during this time of celebration of his birth by loving unconditionally as he told us.  Let us also pray for our fellow saints in places where they are persecuted for the crime of love and faith.  Let us pray to our Father to give them courage to face those great trials and to help them know how powerful our Father's love is.  Let our Father's love shine from all of we saints.  In our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, son of God, all loving, all powerful we will pray these things.  Amen