What a wonderful privilege to live to see another year begin! Thank you, Lord, for all your bountiful blessings and safety as you lead us day by day!
We had a blessed Sabbath day. We were with family, got to see and hug many friends from our former "Ellensburg days", which was so much fun. The sermon we were part of was so powerful and such a blessing. I wish everyone could have had an opportunity to hear it. It was on the story of Mary Magdalene and was titled, "The Once Were But Are No More". The bottom line, (after a lot of thought provoking teaching), was: "The church that doesn't love creates in droves "The Once Were But Are No More". But, the church that loves can bring them back. Just as Jesus loved. As Christians that is what we are to do. Love as Jesus loved, not "anything goes", kind of love. But love with a passion to draw them to Jesus and salvation. Are you doing that? Am I doing that? We have to move past our fears, our hurts, our self to reach those who need love, those who need friends. I have often needed to know I was loved, wanted, accepted just as I was with my imperfect self but felt very alone just as you probably have experienced sometime in your life. Have you ever felt unwanted, not good enough, not part of the group? I have and it hurts, a lot. I know there have been those in my world that were lonely, but I did not reach out to them. What were my reasons? What have yours been? "Family Time" seems to be an acceptable response, (reminds me of the Priest and Levite who passed the Samaritan in Jesus' parable): "to tired", "long week", "company", "already had plans", "house is untidy", "already invited others", "didn't prepare food", "getting together with friends", "they don't love the Lord like I do", etc. Are you guilty of any of these? I'm not saying that there is no such thing as "Enoch Time" as that is very important. I am not talking of the occasional time. But what is our character in this matter? So much to contemplate on. A very good sermon. Now how do I apply it and all the Bible verses into my life and now these next few months?
Will each one of us in my family love the people we are going to serve? What about the ones that don't smell good, are dirty, are angry, we can't communicate with, laugh at our curly hair (they think curly hair is strange, I think mine is too), let their babies relive themselves anywhere without diapers, are spitting where ever they happen to be at the moment including in our house(!), have head lice, or how about the people the very ones who are trying to hurt the people group we are going to be working with, etc, etc, etc. Jesus loves them all, everyone of them. He even loves me when others do not. He loves you ever so much even if you have been unkind to someone or not included them into your life or done terrible things! He loves every person he has ever created. He died for everyone of us so we could live with Him forever.
What will this New Year hold for each one of us? We do not know. All we can do is walk faithfully into it, reaching out to all those around us, loving them, hugging them, including them and trusting God to change our hearts as he needs to do so we can do the work He has given us to do to finish the work as he has instructed us in Matthew 28:18 - 20, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel, ...". Even into our own churches with the people that are right there, OR the ones that are not coming anymore OR do not feel welcome or wanted OR that we do not like (is that possible as a Christian?). This is also part of the "world", part of the commission we have been given. An excellent sermon!
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