Daily Bible Reading & Devotion -- Psalm 40 - 41

Good Morning World, and Happy New Year's Eve!  May the Lord richly bless you.  May His light shine upon you and light your path.  May you have a new relationship with Jesus, and see what God and really be to you!

Thank you for helping this blog reach over 3800 souls and over 150 countries!  I can't what to see over 4000 souls and more!  Stick around and see what God is going to do!

Psalm 40

David is again describing the trials and tribulations of life.  Knowing this gives me hope!  The knowing that the man after God's own heart had good days and bad days.  He had ups and downs.  He felt small, poor and needy even though he became king of Israel.  This gives me hope and comfort!  Why, you ask?  Because, when I have my ups, downs, ins and outs I too can still trust in my maker and know that He is there to show his great grace and mercy through me!  Don't ever feel too low.  Don't ever let your emotions take you to the edge of destruction.  Be like David and let your spirit cry out.  You will soon see the mercy and love of Jesus enveloping you and giving you peace in your storm!  Let your enemies be ashamed and desolate!  Let your spirit rejoice because it trusted in and sought after Jesus!

Psalm 41

Let the first statement of this chapter be our New Year's resolution, "Blessed is he that considers the poor!"
Don't worry about losing weight -- you'll do that when your are ready.
Don't worry about relationships -- that will happen in time.
Don't worry about your bad habits -- you'll stop them when you are fed up with yourself.
NO, this year do one thing; consider the poor!  There is such great blessing when we look beyond ourselves and reach into the life of someone who is needy.  Everyone has a need.  You can find them on your street.  They could be your neighbor.  There is no better why to show the love of God than by helping someone who is poor and destitute.  In this tough economic time when many millions of people are out of work it is time for God's people to rise up and help the poor.

Am I poor?  In today's standards -- YES!  I've never made enough money in a year to bring me over the national poverty level.  Am I blessed?  In God's economy -- YES!  I have less than many, and more than most.  I am blessed!  God is good to me, and I want to show that goodness to someone else!

This year find a soup kitchen, homeless shelter or someone unemployed and help them.  It may not be much, but Jesus will multiply your efforts!  May be that is the point of the miracle of the fishes and loaves.  Little is much when God is in it!

Are you having trouble making ends meet?  So am I!  Yet, when we help the needy God not only supply's our needs but also the needs of others!  It is amazing!  I dare you to try, and see how God blesses you!

Yours for a great New Year in Jesus
Pastor Fred

Resolutions or Revolutions

New Year is here again, and it's time for us to re-evalutate our lives, make changes, do things differently and love a little harder.

So many people make resolutions, which Webster defines as

• "1. Fixed purpose or determination of mind; as a resolution to reform our lives; a resolution to undertake an expedition.
  
• 2. The effect of fixed purpose; firmness, steadiness or constancy in execution, implying courage."

It is a resolve to make changes, but so many times there is no action, back bone or determintation to actually make the necessary changes you've decided to do. Often I feel that resolutions are so common place that we don't feel bad to neglect them, or forget them altogether. Things that are common place don't hold very much value, but like the old saying "you don't no somethings value until its gone." People don't value water until they don't have it any morel. People don't value friendship and love, until they are all alone with no one around. People don't value anything really until they don't have it anymore.
I believe its time for a revolution instead of resolutions!
The Wikipedia describes a revolution as:

• A revolution (from Late Latin revolutio which means "a turn around") is a significant change that usually occurs in a relatively short period of time. Variously defined revolutions have been happening throughout human history. They vary in terms of numbers of their participants (revolutionaries), means employed by them, duration, motivating ideology and many other aspects. They may result in a socio-political change in the socio-political institutions, or a major change in a culture or economy.

A complete turn around! It is much like the word we use to describe our part in the salvation process - repentance. A revolution and repentance are basically the same thing! They both describe going one direction and then seeing the error of that way and making a complete U-turn, and going the opposite direction!
All of our lives need a revolution! We are travelling, many of us, down a road, which the Bible describes as, "the end thereof are the ways of destruction!" It is time we got some determination, back bone and stood up to ourselves, and make a revolution that we can look back on with pride and resolution. Let us be able to say of this day, "that was the day I changed my life for the better!" May we also be able to say, "I gave my life to Jesus, and Oh, what a change!"

Revolutionize your resolutions, and really make change in your life!

Yours for positive change,
Pastor Fred