My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if you
do sin, there is someone to plead for you before the Father. He is Jesus Christ,
the one who pleases God completely. He is the sacrifice for our sins. He takes
away not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
1 John 2:1-22 NLT
Pastor Lewis Llewellyn says that the Koreans have a curious New Year’s custom.
Desiring to forget unpleasant things and make a fresh start, each person
determines what bad habits he would like to eliminate and what past deeds he
wants forgiven. Then he writes the names of these evils on a kite and flies it
high into the air. When it is almost out of sight, he cuts the string. As the
“paper bird” takes a nose-dive and disappears from the sight, he thinks that
all his faults and previous transgressions are forever removed.
—Henry G. Bosch
December 28
"...He was obedient to them...And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and
men" (Luke 2:51,52).
Jesus kept out of the public eye for thirty years. In those years He was
subject to His parents and their principles. The child Jesus obeyed the commandment: "Honor your father and your mother..." (Exodus 20:12). What a lesson for our youth who want to leave home before they hardly know how to live.
Because of Jesus' faithfulness and submission while on earth, we have no excuse to give out, give in or give up. He is our energy and power.
What prophet was
instructed by God to shave his hair and to burn a third, smite a third,
and scatter a third of it as a sign?
Previous question and
Answer:
Nicodemus put how many pounds of myrrh and aloes on the
body of Jesus?
Answer: One Hundred pounds.
John 19:39
And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night,
and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. (KJV)
The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son
of God."
- Galatians 2:20
"I came not to send peace on earth, but a
sword."
- Matthew 10:34
When the Lord in mercy passed
by and saw us in our blood, he first of all said, "Live"; and
this he did first, because life is one of the absolutely essential things
in spiritual matters, and until it be bestowed we are incapable of
partaking in the things of the kingdom.
The Christian will be sure to
make enemies. It will be one of his objects to make none; but if to do the
right, and to believe the true, should cause him to lose every earthly
friend, he will count it but a small loss, since his great Friend in
heaven will be yet more friendly, and reveal himself to him more
graciously than ever.
T
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A
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If
I Could Live Those Days Again
I looked upon a farm one day.
That once I used to own;
The barn had fallen to the ground.
The fields were overgrown.
The house in which my children grew.
Where we had lived for years --
I turned to see it broken down.
And brushed aside the tears.
I looked upon my soul one day.
To find it too had grown
With thorns and nettles everywhere.
The seeds neglect had sown.
The years had passed while I had cared
For things of lesser worth:
The things of Heaven I let go
When minding things of Earth.
To Christ I turned with bitter tears.
And cried, "O Lord, forgive!
I haven't much time left for Thee,
Not many years to live."
The wasted years forever gone,
The days I can't recall;
If I could live those days again.
I'd make Him Lord of all.
...and by his light I walked through darkness! JOB 29:3 NIV
Kindness
by Pat Nordman
"Love is
kind"
1
Corinthians 13:4 NIV
People don't care how much you know until they know how much you
care." Anonymous. "Do not say to your neighbor, `Come back
later; I'll give it tomorrow' -- when you now have it with you"
(Proverbs 3:28). Com-passion cannot be timed. "Too little, too
late" is a tragic assessment of damaged friendship. There is a
proper time for impulsiveness. When we feel compelled to make a call
or to take up a worthwhile cause, there is no time, literally, like
the present to make of life a present to others.
Sometimes we weigh an action on a scale of what we call common sense
until it becomes such a heavy burden and so one-sided that we decide
we can't help. "Carry each other's bur-dens, and in this way you
will fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). Burdens come in
all sizes and shapes. They may seem to be – indeed, often are –
unfair burdens, both for ourselves and others. But we are all dust and
the environment in which we all live is polluted and our loved ones
die always at a bad time and tornadoes and hurricanes always strike at
inopportune times. We're all in the same rocking boat of a world;
therefore these are the only times we have to take advantage of our
opportunities to give others God's love and ours.
"The king asked, `Is there no one still left in the house of Saul
to whom I can show God's kindness?'" 2 Samuel 9:3. David was
concerned about showing compassion because of his great love for
Jonathan, Saul's son. And it was God's kindness he wanted to share, so
his motivation was pure.
Kin Hubbard leaves us this thought, "Kindness goes a long ways
lots of times when it ought to stay at home." How hard it is to
love the unlovable, especially the home folks. The humorous foot-note
to this is that our family members may well feel the same way about
us!
We're
all in the same rocking boat of a world; therefore these are the only
times we have to take ad-vantage of our oppor-tuni-ties to give others
God's love and ours..
