New Year's Resolutions

Greetings!!!

Are you one that makes a New Year resolution? How long into the year will it be before you give up on that resolution? Why do you think so many people make New Year resolutions? Having thought about this for a good part of this week, I believe that New Year resolutions are made because people hope to have a better year than the one that just past. Over and over again, God's word kept echoing the only solution to a better year.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found by you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.'

Have you felt like 2009 brought you to a place of exile? Are you in a place where things seem unreal, a place of loss, a place of sorrow, or a place of bondage? It does not really matter what God's plans are for you if you do not seek Him with all your heart. If you do not search desperately for Him to meet your need, you will only know your plans and not God's plans for you. You may have good and wonderful plans. You may even be asking God to bless your plans, but "Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, To retire late, To eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep." Psalm 127:1-2 Are you tired of doing things your own way and not getting the results that you desire? Here is a New Year resolution that will give wonderful, successful results: spend time every day reading the Bible, praying, and then being quiet before the Lord. Start simply. Commit ten minutes to the Lord--five minutes of reading the Bible, three minutes of prayer, and two minutes of quiet listening. As the Lord prompts increase the time, but commit some time every day. I guarantee that if you do this, you will be pleased with the results by the end of 2010.

The LORD bless you with hunger and thirst to know Him, His word and His plans for your life.

I love you,

Ruth

Christmas Gifts

Greetings!!!

How many times did you hear, "What do you want for Christmas?" I must have driven my family crazy with my consistent answer of, "Nothing." I simply could not think of anything I really needed or wanted. After much thought, I decided that the thing I wanted most in all the world was to know that the most important people in my life (that would include you) would be with me when I stand with Jesus in heaven for all eternity. I can almost hear you say, "How self righteous!! What makes you think YOU will be in heaven?" or "Well!! If you are going to heaven, I certainly will make it."

But really, I do know that I will be in heaven when I die or Jesus returns.

Take a look at the reason the Apostle John wrote his gospel. John 20:30-31 "Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that by believing you may have life in His name."

Now, take a look at 1 John 5:1-12: "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that bear witness, the Spirit, and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for the witness of God is this, that He has borne witness concerning His Son. The one who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness that God has borne concerning His Son. And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life."

The believing that the Apostle John is talking about is more than just an intellectual belief. You see James tells us that "demons also believe, and shudder." Trust me, there will be no demons in heaven. The believing here is being willing to open your heart and receive all that God has for you by faith. John 1:12 states "But as many as received Him, (Jesus)to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name."

Were you given gifts for Christmas? Did you receive them and open them, or did you put them away unopened, or did you just outright refused them? I am sure that if you were given a gift, you received it, opened it and took it as your own to your own delight as well as the delight of the giver. Well, God has given you a gift--His one and only Son. Will you receive His gift and my greatest desire for you--eternal life through Jesus Christ God's Son? Do not leave this as a gift unopened.

The LORD bless you with receiving the true gift of Christmas.

I love you,

Ruth

Are You Well?

Greetings!!!

Have you ever had an injury? As I type, I can count six wounds on my fingers, and that is only on my right hand! All of them are in various stages of healing. Isn't it amazing that God built healing abilities into your body, often times without any scars? But when it comes to your spirit, there is nothing you can do on our own to heal yourself and make yourself free of the scars of sin and shame.

Although it is impossible for you find healing and freedom from sin on your own, you spirit can still be healed and cleansed and made alive. Take a look at John 3:16-21. Although it is a bit wordy, I am using The Amplified Bible. "For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world (that includes you) that He [even] gave up His only-begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish -- come to destruction, be lost -- but have eternal (everlasting) life. For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge -- to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on -- the world; but that the world might find salvation and be made safe through Him. He who believes on Him -- who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him -- is not judged (he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no condemnation; he incurs no damnation). Be he who does not believe (not cleave to, rely on, trust in Him) is judged already; (he has already been convicted; has already received his sentence) because he has not believed on and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. -- He is condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ's name. The [basis of the] judgment (indictment, the test by which men are judged, the ground for the sentence) lies in this: that the Light is come into the world, and people have loved the darkness rather than and more than the Light, for their works (deeds) were evil. For every wrongdoer hates (loathes, detests) the light and will not come out into the light, but shrinks from it, lest his works -- his deeds, his activities, his conduct -- be exposed and reproved. But he who practices truth -- who does what is right -- comes out into the light; so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are, wrought with God -- divinely prompted, done with God's help, in dependence upon Him."

Is your spirit alive and well? If you are unsure, then you need to come to the Lord and receive the wonderful gift of God--His One and only Son Jesus Christ--to heal your wounded and sin sick spirit, to help you come out of the darkness and into the light, and to help you to realize the true meaning and purpose of the Christmas season we are now celebrating.

The LORD bless you with the healing of your spirit, soul and body.

I love you,

Ruth

Will You Give Thanks?

Greetings!!!

What is your tendency when things in your life do not go as you expect or would like? Do you get anxious and fearful? Do you question why these things are happening to you? Perhaps you get frustrated or annoyed. It is possible that you resort to complaining? What should be done when life seems to be unraveling?

Let's take a stroll through the New Testament.

Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Paul also says in Ephesians 5:19-20 "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father"

James takes it a little further in James 1:2-4 "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Peter really explains why we can give thanks in and for any circumstance. 1 Peter 1:3-9 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ, and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining a the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls."

Have you ever noticed that neither fear, anxiety, frustration, annoyance, nor complaining change your circumstance? Oh! But when you begin to praise God and give thanks to Him because He is worthy of your praise and thanksgiving, no matter what is going on in your life, things begin to change. This change may not be outward and may take some time, but the inward change will make you able to know and understand that your Father is good and has good planned for your life.

The LORD bless you with a heart willing to give Him thanks... no matter what.

I love you,

Ruth

Be Relentless

Greetings!!!

Do you use your computer a lot? I use my computer for so many things... mail, work, record keeping, writing, banking, and many other things. Usually, I can get things done very quickly using my computer, but one day last week when I was trying to do my online banking, I could have walked to the bank and back home in the time it took me to get into my account. Like most online accounts, I had to type in my user ID and password, but when I clicked Login, I got an error message. After three error messages, I had to contact my bank. The bank gave me a temporary passcode. I thought I was good to go, but the passcode did not work. I called the bank again and was directed to tech support. The person told me what to do, but as I listened I realized that the directions were for a PC. I have a Mac. When I explained this, the response was, "Oh..." The tech did not know what to tell me. After almost two hours of back and forth with the bank, I still was unable to log into my account! It was not until the next day that the tech realized that the web browser I was using was too new for the bank to support. Using a different browser, I was able to get in with the first try.

This reminded me of Jeremiah 29:11-14: 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found by you.' declares the LORD

and Jeremiah 33:3: 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'

Are you feeling like you are using the wrong web browser with God? Continue to be persistent. Do not give up. Keep calling on Him. Keep seeking Him. Seek Him with your whole heart. Get desperate in your search. You have no idea what God has in store for you, but do not give up. Do not stop short. There are so many things God want to reveal to you... great and wonderful things.

The LORD bless you with being relentless in your search for God's plans for you.

I love you,

Ruth

Are You Guilty?

Greetings!!!

Are you guilty of circumlocution? Everyone knows that politicians can be very circumlocutory, but how about you? Do you have a tendency to use many words where fewer would do, especially when you want to be vague or evasive? Are you guilty of speaking more than you listen, or before you understand? Maybe words are used to hide insecurities. Perhaps it is in the hope of impressing someone or to manipulate the conversation that so many unnecessary words are used.

The song "Final Word" by Michael Card initiated this writing.

You and me we use so very many clumsy words.

The noise of what we often say is not worth being heard.

When the Father's wisdom wanted to communicate His love,

He spoke it in one final perfect Word.

He spoke the incarnation, and then so was born the Son.

His final Word was Jesus, He needed no other one.

He spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed and make a way Divine.

And so was born the baby who would die to make it mine.

And so the Father's fondest thought took on flesh and bone.

He spoke the living luminous Word, at once His will was done.

And so the transformation that in man had been unheard,

Took place in God the Father as He spoke that final Word.

And so the Light became alive and manna became Man.

Eternity stepped into time so we could understand...

He spoke the incarnation, and then so was born the Son.

His final Word was Jesus, He needed no other one.

He spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed and make a way Divine.

And so was born the baby who would die to make it mine.

And this Jesus, who was He? Let's take a look at Philippians 2:3-11.

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Since we are to be like our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, why is to so hard for us to humble ourselves and be obedient to God and serve Him? Maybe we have a wrong view of what being a servant really is. Maybe, just maybe, what we despise in this life - being a servant, slave, or of what appears to be a lowly status - is what it would take to change this world and usher in the Lord's return.

The LORD bless us with words and actions that will bless Him and glorify His kingdom.

I love you,

Ruth