Tag Archives: new year

Happy New Year 2015

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As a young boy growing up on the farm you could have never convinced me that I would live to see the year 2015 or my late forties either.  I thought someone who was fifty had one foot on a banana peel and the other in the grave for sure.

One thing I have learned over my colorful life is that my God, the God of the Bible is a God of second chances.  Look at Jonah.  I gain great encouragement from the Word of God in Jonah 3:1, “And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,”

Just the thought that when I fail, I can get back up in repentance and faith in my LORD.  Then to know that the Word of the LORD will come to me a second time.  Thank you Jesus!  I found it interesting that twenty-nine (29) times in God’s Word the phrase “second time” was found.  Our God is a God of second chances.

As we approach this new year we can rest in the reality that God is a God of second chances.  Maybe the year 2014 was a bad year for you.  Shake the dust off your feet and start 2015 off the right way.  Our God is a God of second changes.  He can make all things new.  Look at II Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

It is a new year.  Your slate has been wiped clean by the blood of Jesus Christ.  Go and live like it!

So, how are you doing?

Examine

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I don’t know about you; but, I am having a hard time believing that the year 2014 is almost gone.  We have less than twenty four hours left. As I am sitting here writing this post a little rhyme came to mind.  I do not know who originally said it so I cannot give credit where credit is due.  It goes as follows:

“Only one life, twill soon be past.  Only what’s done for Christ will last.”  Unknown

We have all seen the rubber bracelets that try to challenge us with, “What Would Jesus Do?”.  I find that far too many that wear them are no more concerned with the answer to that then they are interested in flying solo without a space ship to Mars.  Well…

As we close out the year 2014 I must ask myself, “What; if anything, have I accomplished for the Lord Jesus Christ?”  I could be filled with false humility and say that I have done what I could.  I could be a liar too.

Now, you and I both need to take some serious time alone today with God, His Word and a notebook of empty paper and seek God’s answer to our penetrating question.  Oh, it is not penetrating to you.  Well, it very well should be.  Maybe we need to see what the Word says in I Corinthians 11:28, “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.”

Yes, I am fully aware that this passage of Scripture is linked to the communion practice.  Do not be so blind as to think this is the only time that examination is necessary.  The word “examine” means to test (literally or figuratively); by implication, to approve (definition from the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordence).

I am pretty certain that we all need to put our lives up against the Word of God as a test and see where we stand.  My guess is that we will all fall drastically short.  That is just a guess.

So, how are you doing?