HAPPY NEW YEAR!

New Year's Eve has, for the past 5 years, been the loneliest day of the year for me. Not so much because I'm divorced and live alone-----but because there was no one to share my life in Christ with in celebration of overcoming the obstacles of the old year and going into the new year with a fresh start.

All of my life, from childhood to adult, my family spent New Year's Eve in church where God's people gave testimonies of victories in their lives, illumination of God's Word that led them into His presence, stories of personal growth, friends and family members who were won to the Lord, etc., etc. We would then get on our knees, around 11:30, praying and worshiping God for bringing us through another year, with anticipation of His continued love and guidance in the New Year. Shortly after midnight we would gather in fellowship hall where we would continue our celebration with food and well wishes to one another in the New Year.

Not many churches today have "Watch Service"----so I've been spending the evening alone, on my knees in prayers and songs of thanksgiving and hope as time closed out the old year and ushered in the new. At midnight I would partake in the Lord's Supper in remembrance of my union with the Savior.

This year, my church combined its Candle Light Christmas Eve Service with one of our neighboring churches. What a blessing! God truly left His throne and visited His children on that evening.

Tonight, our neighbor church is having New Year's Eve (Watch Night) Service and I look forward to attending with great expectation that God will again minister to His children, re-igniting our hearts with passion to press on toward intimacy in Him.

LORD, Send A Revival!

I awoke this morning feeling very discouraged. This week began with a fight to withstand the demons of apathy, indifference, and hopelessness that’s plaguing the faith community I belong to. The atmosphere among the staff and leaders is so depressing that I fear for my own spiritual health.

It’s obvious, at least to me, what the problem is. My church has left its first love. There is no intimacy between individual members and Christ, which means there is no spiritual intimacy among members toward one another. We go through the motion of Sunday programming without heart or passion. We go home and busy ourselves with jobs or unemployment rituals, pay TV, entertainment vices, food, criticizing and blaming the government for the mess our country is in; and at the end of the day give 7minutes (if that much) of unconscious prayer to a distant Heavenly Father in the name of His distant Son, Jesus, and go to bed, and repeat the same scenario the next day and thereafter.

I can hear Jesus calling out to His people to rekindle their love for Him and His Word. I hear Him knocking at the door of hearts who claim they are His.

"Here I am, open the door and I will come in and commune with you. I want to renew our relationship. Remember when you first met Me, when you first accepted Me as your Savior? You were so grateful for salvation, you devoted yourself to talking with Me in prayer daily---you loved to study My Word and apply it to your life. You willing showed love and forgiveness to others. You actually cared about My other children and did what you could to help them and show them My love. And you weren’t ashamed to share your faith in Me with family and friends. You were passionate in your worship of Me and My Father. My light shone brightly within you.

But now you’ve forgotten the old days. Your heart is no longer in your Worship of Me and My Father. You come to church with a desire to hurry up and go home. You no longer spend time getting to know Me through personal and corporate prayer. The only time I hear from you is when you’re in trouble and everyone you trusted above Me has turned their back on you. Come, open the door and let me in. I will forgive you and hold you in My arms. Come, let me in."
　
Most Gracious Father,
Thank you for undeserved mercy to me and your people. Please, Lord God Almighty, send a revival to your children. We need You Lord, I need You Lord-----we can do nothing without You.
Please, don’t let our light go out (Revelation 2:4-5).
In Jesus’ name,
Anna

MEMORIAL DAY BLESSINGS

As I join our nation in pausing to remember the sacrifice of our soldiers who gave and lost their lives in defending and protecting the many freedoms we enjoy in America, I am especially grateful to God for allowing my son (Air Force) to return home from two tours in Iraq and one tour in Afghanistan. Today he is in Germany celebrating Memorial Day with his family.

I am also grateful that God kept my nephew (Navy) safe and allowed him to return home to his family.

Thank You Lord, Amen

THIRSTY?

Friday, March 6, 2009
I thought about Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well today when a co-worker walked into my work area looking for something to drink. "I’m looking for a drink that will quench my soul" he said to me. "There is no drink in the world that can ever quench your soul" I replied.
Unlike the woman at the well, who was thirsty for the Messiah, my co-worker was thirsty for something else and it wasn’t Jesus.

My biggest fear in being assigned to work in the Food Pantry Warehouse was that I might run into former clients and their family. Would my being unemployed and a recipient of General Assistance (being in the same boat they’re in) ruin my testimony of faith in Christ, before them?

On my first day I saw a former client’s sister who in the past, was very resistant to the gospel. To my relief she didn’t recognize me. But in route home at the end of the work day I felt convicted. So on my next scheduled work date I revealed myself to her. And to my surprise, she didn’t mock me; she was awed that despite my circumstance, my faith in Christ was still intact with a continued demonstration of care for her and her family.

Although she hasn’t made a commitment to Christ yet---who can say she won’t? Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why God has engineered my placement there that she and others are given opportunity to receive the gospel and be saved.

TRUTH

"What is truth?" asked Pilate of Jesus. Illinoisans are probably asking the same question in light of Sen. Roland Burris’ ever changing story surrounding his appointment to the senate by former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

The world’s version of truth is based on whatever it chooses to be true, in order to achieve a desired goal or purpose. Even religious folks have its form of truth; it’s rooted in self-righteousness and pride. The practice of these types of truths enslaves us to our sin nature because it is based on the cravings of the flesh.

Jesus said, "If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. And you will know the truth and the truth shall make you free."(John 8:31, 32)

The truth Jesus spoke of comes from Him and it is realized only in those who have saturated their heart and mind with the Word of God. The truth is no matter how high we’ve climbed the ladder of success; no matter what office or title we hold in the world or in the church----we are not exempt from sin and its entrapment. We are swayed to overlook our sin to protect our reputation or to gain power and position over others, and we’re all subject to being duped, and misled by Satan through close friends, associates and family.

The only person who is free from sin is Jesus, and we experience His freedom from our sin when we acknowledge it, repent, and align our will with His.

Most Gracious and Heavenly Father,
Create in me a fervent desire for Your Word to burn brightly in my heart and mind.
Continue to expose sin areas in my life, so I may experience freedom from my sin through repentance and forgiveness.
In Jesus’ name, Amen

GLORY in Poverty

If my revisiting poverty results in one soul coming to Jesus, it is more than worth the trip.

As an eligibility requirement to receive General Assistance, I have to give one day a week working in the Township’s Food Pantry Warehouse packing food boxes for needy families. Today during lunch a young man asked me what I was reading. I told him, I was reading my Bible. Ten minutes later he came and sat near me and asked, "What are you reading now?

"The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis"

"What’s it about?"

After explaining to him what the book was about, he opened his heart to hear the gospel and conversation began centered around a personal relationship with Christ.

To GOD is the GLORY!

The Lifter Up of My Head

I heard a song on the Worship Net channel by Jocelyn Brown that has refreshed my soul these past few weeks. The artist combined an old hymn (Leaning on the Everlasting Arms) with the song, "Praise the Mighty Name of Jesus."

The chorus of the song says –

Praise the mighty name of Jesus,
Praise the Lord the lifter up of my head –
Praise the Rock of my Salvation,
All my days are in His faithful hands.

Leaning, leaning, leaning on the Everlasting Arms –
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the Everlasting Arms.

I’ve been unemployed for 14 months. My unemployment benefits ran out in December. My life from a human viewpoint looks quite bleak. But from the standpoint of the scriptures presented in the song, I, even now; dwell in a place of blessedness. How? My life is in the Faithful Hands of Jesus. Because I trust Him to care for, and protect me I can lift my head above my troubles and worship Him. By His love for me He has touched the heart of people around me to share their substance with me. The Lord has given me favor with my landlord, allowing me to keep my apartment for less than what he’s due. He has even sent people to encourage me and stand in prayer with me. And most important-----just as He had taught me the blessedness in graciously giving to others; He has now taught me how to graciously receive from others as receiving from Him.