It is now early January 2019 and I am thinking about all the different things and events that I am committed to for this year and to be honest I feel a little overwhelmed by it all, but that is nothing new for me, I go through this at the beginning of every new year; and I have to remind myself that it is just the devil trying to intimidate me and make me afraid. I was greatly encouraged today by one of my daily devotionals and I want to share it with you.
He is not sending you; He is taking you.
When you attempt something you have never done before, it is normal to feel afraid. When you are asked to do a job for which you feel unqualified, it is normal to feel afraid. When you attempt something you have failed at previously, it is normal to feel afraid. But it is in the doing the thing you fear to do that you grow, and your confidence in God grows. Today God is saying to you: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6
God stays with you wherever you go. That should motivate you to go anywhere He tells you to go. The truth is that when God says go, He is not sending you somewhere, He is taking you somewhere.
It is so good to be reminded that all I have to do is take hold of Jesus’ hand walk with Him and He will enable me to fulfil all my commitments for 2019.
Some Christians make negative noises about making New Years resolutions for some reason I have never understood. I think any time we decide to make positive changes in our lives and desire to follow through is a good day! In scripture, Daniel “purposed in his heart” about not defiling himself and God honored that greatly. The beginning of a new year is a good time to reevaluate our lives and determine to become more Christl like. Setting goals and devising plans is a positive exercise and can give us a boost to get started. There is an old saying, “if you fail to plan you are planning to fail”. I would pray that as Daughters of the King we are planning to be victorious!
Get a devotional book and purpose to read it and your Bible every day. Choose some scripture to memorize and chart out the verses and the days. Read a chapter of Proverbs every day, every month throughout the year and you can’t help but become wiser! (31 proverbs fills every day of every month) Make a prayer plan and pray regularly and often. Plan wise spending and giving of your finances. Start a healthy eating plan (again). Determine to walk 30 minutes every day. Whatever the Lord puts on your mind to change or plan for, do it!! Call it a resolution, or purpose, or dedication. Just plan time to make the changes with God’s help that will draw you closer to His image. God has plans for you and He will bless you. He told His people in Jeremiah, “I know the plans I have for you.” Planning is a God thing. Go ahead, make some resolutions!!
Happy New Year!! 2019 has arrived and we are all expressing good wishes to family and friends. A new year with new opportunities and possibilities! I looked through the Bible for what God says about new things and I found quite a lot! New covenants, a new heaven and a new earth, a new song, a new mind and others. Our God is a God of newness. Old things are passed away, behold all things are made new! I especially love the verses from Lamentations 3:22-23 ” It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.” The mercies and compassions of the Lord are NEW every morning! He is faithful!! His faithfulness is great!!
Each day we get up with a fresh shower of mercy and compassion from the Lord. Let us live in that mercy and share it to those around us in this new year. Give grace to others. Have mercy on those who bother you or have issues around you. Have compassion on the downtrodden and needy. Be a new you in 2019 and show others Christs newness! Have a very blessed NEW Year!!
Recently I was diagnosed with an ailment that was causing me constant pain in my knee, a slight limp and worrisome thoughts that I might need some type of surgery or serious medications. Once defined as a common but painful situation I was relieved but still anxious. I shared my plight with a few friends and immediately they all voiced ideas and one said, “Oh, I had that and I got over it ; you will too”. I immediately felt lighter and a sense of hope.
One of the world’s most loved Christmas carols, “O, Holy Night” has the line. “A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!”. I understand a little better the idea of “A thrill of hope”. Things will get better, the future is brighter, wounds will be made whole, illnesses healed. Yonder, in the manger lies the answer, a new and glorious morn! It was the night of our dear Saviors birth! No matter how long we have lain in our sin and error , HE has appeared, and our souls are worthy through HIM!! Trust in this Child of the virgin, this sacrifice of the cross! There is the thrill of hope for all our situations. They will either be resolved here or in eternity. You will “get over it’ like my unexpected diagnosis, the pain will be relieved in time. God’s time.
So, even though I will need to carefully fall on my knees, I want to proclaim with those angel voices, “O night divine, O, Holy Night, when Christ was born!!
While preparing for Christmas I have carols playing continually to keep me moving and inspired. I love to catch some of the phrases in my mind and focus on what the writers were expressing from their hearts. Two verses from ‘I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” caught my attention and stirred my soul. The last two verses say, ” Then in despair I bowed my head, ‘there is no peace on earth’ I said. For hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, goodwill to men. Then pealed the bells more loud and deep GOD IS NOT DEAD nor doth He sleep, the wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, goodwill to men.”
Penned by Longfellow in 1863, its sentiments could have been written this year. Many times the events of our nations cause us to bow our heads in despair, the situations in our families cause heart break and the sin in our own lives mocks back at us that hate is strong. But God didn’t leave His creation there. In the manger was provided the “right that will prevail”. The Son of God was given who can restore nations, mend brokenness and forgive and heal from personal guilt. From that night of the nativity there is a hope that causes us to raise our heads and peal the bells loud and deep! God is not dead, nor doth He sleep! Joy to the World, our Lord has come!!!
I am one of those people who begin listening to Christmas music early in the season. Each year there seems to be one verse or phrase that catches my attention regardless of how many times I have heard or sung it. While decorating my tree Sunday night I heard “with the dawn of redeeming grace “ and literally stopped working and sat on the top of my ladder and wondered……”the dawn of redeeming grace”. I have studied grace in the past but this was a new idea!! The birth of the Christ child brought a dawning into humanity’s night. No more striving to keep the law and failing. I now rely on the grace of Christ to redeem me back to God.
Then I heard the word “dawning”. Like the sun, grace has always been there in the essence of God, even before the sun was created!! But the birth of the Son of God displayed for us the dawn of His saving grace. Light into darkness, night becomes day, amazing grace!! I hope each time you hear this phrase, this season, that you will wonder at the “dawn of redeeming grace”.
