New year resolutions

As the year closes out many are preparing for a better new year, looking forward too a better tomorrow making resolutions and hoping to see a brighter future than the days they just came through.

Some of us will make resolutions to loose weight, be financially free, get in better shape, finish our education, the list is endless on the things people resolve too do year after year. While it is grand to have goals and to work at them our goals should not be just about us.

I would challenge each of us too make a resolution that we are unable too do on our own, that without God’s help we will definitely fail.

The 1st part of that resolution would be this.

Love the LORD your GOD with all your heart, your soul and your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.

This  will take God’s help for us too seek Him and lay aside our agenda daily.

To love God this way means we need to seek Him in prayer, in His word, in fellowship, in how we work, rest, and play, in our relationship with others, how we serve Him, how we live our lives moment by moment, responding to whatever comes our way in faith, living in His truths and walking in His ways, doing all things to bring glory to His name.

And then to love our neighbors as ourselves, this means that if someone has a need and your able to help them you should, starting with caring for their soul. 

If you’re up for the challenge to lay aside selfish ambitions and pray to God to renew your soul and let Him do great works in you and through you this year will be the grandest year of your life.

Be the light that shines through the darkness this new year, be the beacon of hope people need to see. In an age where everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes, let them see God’s grace, hope,peace and love in us.

““You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14-16 CSB

“He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

Matthew 22:37-40 CSB

“He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”

2 Timothy 1:9 CSB

A year of Jubilee

The year our Lord Jesus Christ was born was a year of Jubilee, the year of Jubilee is quite special in Jewish heritage.

"The Jubilee year is the completion of the sabbatical years. Every 7 years God commanded Israel to take an entire Sabbath year. A full year of rest. Enjoy His presence. But every 7th cycle of 7 years (so every 49 years) Israel threw an incredible party that entailed a few things like large scale debt getting cancelled, slaves would be set free, and God’s presence would be particularly manifest in the year of Jubilee. And during Jubilee they were commanded to celebrate, party, sign, dance, and shout". ( from Jefferson Bethke )

When you read the genealogy of Matthew 1 you can see the importance of the list of names because it is pointing to the celebration of Jubilee that we still celebrate today. Every word, every name is written in the word of God for a reason, not by chance, not random thought's, but for a reason. We might not understand them at first, but with guidance from the Holy Spirit, and a little research you can see the wonder of God's word.

Christ came in the year of Jubilee to cancel our spiritual debts. All who where slaves to sin are set free through Him. All who still are slaves to sin can only be set free through Him. This is one of the reasons we celebrate the work God has done, and is doing through the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When Christ came He brought with Him an entire way of living, loving, and knowing God.

This Christmas season celebrate the year of jubilee, if your free today from the chains of sin in you're life thank Jesus Christ, and if you're not then seek Him out today, and He will reveal the truths,the scriptures tell us to seek and you will find.

Matthew 1:1-25 HCSB

The  historical record   of Jesus Christ, the Son of David,  the Son of Abraham: Abraham fathered  Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob, Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers, Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Aram, Aram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered King David. Then  David fathered Solomon by Uriah’s wife, Solomon fathered Rehoboam, Rehoboam fathered Abijah, Abijah fathered Asa, Asa  fathered Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat fathered Joram, Joram fathered Uzziah, Uzziah fathered Jotham, Jotham fathered Ahaz, Ahaz fathered Hezekiah, Hezekiah fathered Manasseh, Manasseh fathered Amon, Amon fathered Josiah, and Josiah fathered Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. Then after the exile to Babylon Jechoniah fathered Shealtiel, Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel fathered Abiud, Abiud fathered Eliakim, Eliakim fathered Azor, Azor fathered Zadok, Zadok fathered Achim, Achim fathered Eliud, Eliud fathered Eleazar, Eleazar fathered Matthan, Matthan fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary, who gave birth to  Jesus who is called the Messiah. So all the generations from Abraham to David were 14 generations; and from David until the exile to Babylon, 14 generations; and from the exile to Babylon until the Messiah, 14 generations. The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit.   So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man,  and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly. But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit.   She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus,   because He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.” When Joseph got up from sleeping, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her   but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son.  And he named Him Jesus.

John 8:34:36 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. "And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Free Gifts

We should treasure life. Our own, and others. The second commodity should be time, time with God, time with family,time with friends. Life and time are both free gifts from God to all mankind.

If we valued other lives and time then life would be precious, but instead we glorify abortion at the expense of 56 million babies just in our nation, then factor in abortions worldwide,euthanasia, murder, ruthless world leaders,ruthless religious groups, we see the numbers skyrocket to the billion plus in world history that have lost their lives here.

Life and time is next are not valued. People of all ages are forgotten, look at the loneliness of people, in our families,our neighborhood,our community, those who live alone, in nursing homes, in the hospitals,orphans, or on the streets ,then go out and multiply that by the 7 billion people in the world.

You don't have to go far see people that have been forgotten by us all, because we are wrapped up into our lives and have no time we wish to share.

Christmas is a time that we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, when God sent Him to us, to redeem our lives, He split time so we could have an eternity with Him. We have forgotten this, Christ came humbly to earth for us, not for us to forget about others but that through us, others would see His love. This Christmas stop being busy in the things that do not matter, people will stand in line 2 days to buy a tv, but won't walk across the street and hang out with neighbors and share God's love. In the grand scheme of eternity, let us be busy sharing the love of God, the truth of His word by taking time out of our days and sharing the gift of eternal life with others while God is giving us the time to do so.

Psalms 39:4-7 HCSB

“ Lord , reveal to me the end of my life and the number of my days. Let me know how short-lived I am. You, indeed, have made my days short in length, and my life span as nothing in Your sight. Yes, every mortal man is only a vapor. Selah “Certainly, man walks about like a mere shadow. Indeed, they frantically rush around in vain, gathering possessions without knowing who will get them. Now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.