As We Prepare To Start 2017

 

As we prepare to start 2017, let me offer Isaiah‬ ‭40:28-31‬;

Do you not know? 

Have you not heard? 

The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. 

He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. 

They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

If we go forth in our own strength, we will fail, and utterly fall; but having our hearts and our hope is in heaven, we will be carried above all difficulties, and able to lay hold of the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus.

As we prepare to start 2017, let us commit to placing our hope in God and being strengthened in Him and by Him. 

Bedtime Conversation

I'm not really sure how my bedtime conversation with our 10, 8, and 6 year-olds tonight turned to dictators, Kim Jong-Il, and the present conditions of North Korea...

This led to Bennett crying with great confusion as to why someone would run a country this way and great uncertainty about the future of  the people living under his regime. 

When I thought all was better and Bennett was calm, I left the room. 

Within minutes he was crying out again.

I went into the room to console him once again and I asked, "What has got you the most upset?" He replied, "That man that cares more about himself than he does about the rest of his people."

I then asked, "Have you prayed for him?" And our daughter, Addison, responded, "Yes! He keeps crying, and wailing, and mourning for him!" To which Bennett sits up straight in his bed, looks to the sky and raises his arms; " Dear God, help that Kim guy to start caring about other people and to stop killing people that love you."

I love these kids!

Redeemed and Reconciled

I was talking to a couple of ladies this morning about the relationship between Christmas and Easter. In the midst of this conversation two words came up - two of my favorite words - "redeemed" and "reconciled". 

 

We understand that Jesus came from heaven - that He was sent - to redeem all of humankind from the penelty of sin - that is death. We also understand that Jesus gave up His life on a Roman cross so that our sin debt would be paid. Furthermore, we understand that Jesus arose from the dead - that He arose from the tomb - so that we could be eternally reconciled with God our Father. 

This afternoon I was reminded of one of my favorite passages of Scripture - a passage I think of often around Easter but rarely around Christmas. And yet, without the gift of Jesus at Christmas we cannot celebrate the gift of Christ at Easter. 

Romans 5:6-11; You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.