"God's Goodness All Year"

"Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness."  Psalm 65:11

At the beginning of each new year, I like to reflect on this verse- I did again at the beginning of this year.  A year is made up of months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds.  This verse tells us that God surrounds the year with His goodness and also bestows His goodness upon the year.  So, it gives me comfort and joy to know that regardless of what a day may bring, regardless of how the month may go, no matter what may happen this minute, I can trust that His goodness will be there for me-- that He will be there for me.  His goodness is not separate from who He is, it is Him.  He is good!

When things get bad, I can trust in and rely upon His goodness to carry me through.  When things don't go according to planned, I can know that because He is good, He can work all things together for my good.  When all evil is coming against me, I can rest assured that He will be with me giving me strength to endure and power to overcome.  I can rest assured that He will fight the battles for me.  When confusion tries to come, when sickness hits my body, when pain afflicts me, when grief takes hold of me, when sorrow tries to overwhelm me, when poverty knocks at my door, when betrayal hits home, when heartache encompasses me on every side, I can know and be confident that His goodness will be there for me.  I don't have to fear, I don't have to give into to the onslaught of the enemy, I don't have to be destroyed, because He will defend me, He will meet every need I have, He will go before me, He will uphold me, and He will carry me if He needs to.  How do I know this?  How can I have this confidence?  Read the verse again.  Because we have a promise from the good God who does not lie but is faithful as promised.  I can also have this confidence because the word "fatness" also means "blessings".  Wherever He is, so are His blessings.  Where is He?  With us.  That is another promise He has made to us, to never leave us nor forsake us and to be with us even unto the end of the world.

Have a great day.  God's goodness encompasses the year- every second of it.    

"Jesus Came For All"

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."  Luke 2:8

I want to look at one word of the angel's announcement to the shepherds.  That word is "all".  God was sending the message of good tidings and great joy... which was the message of salvation to "all". 

When God says "all", He means "all".  He didn't exclude anyone.  Jesus came to save "all" people.  That includes every man, woman, boy and girl.  It includes the red, yellow, black and white.  It includes the Jews, the Greeks, the Asian, the African, the American, every nationality, kindred and tongue.  It includes the tribes of people in the remotest jungle.  It includes monarchs, kings, queens, presidents, emperors and dictators.  It includes the Buddhist, the Hindu, the Muslim, the atheist, the satanist, and any who worship false gods.  It includes the prostitute, the incarcerated, the drug dealers, the murderer, the rapist, the pedophiles, the human trafficker.  "All" also includes the rich and famous, the poor and unknown.  It includes the college educated and the high school dropout.  It also includes the CEO of a large corporation and the little child who is starting kindergarten.  It also includes the porn addict, the drug addict, the alcoholic, the wife beater, the adulterer, the stripper, the homosexual, and everyone who is involved in any immoral act.

There is not one person, world-wide, past, present or future that Jesus did not come into the world to save.  There is no one that He does not love.  There is no one who is beyond His saving grace.  He so loved "the world".  The world includes anyone and everyone.  He came to "seek and to save that which was lost"-- that includes "all" of us, because we "all" were lost. 

He came to save you.  Have you let Him?  Have you had that message of good news and great joy applied to your life?  The message of Christmas is a simple one-- God loved us and gave His Son for us.  A young virgin gave birth to the Son of God in a stable.  Receiving this Savor is simple too-- believe on Jesus, repent of your sins, and receive Him into your life as your Lord.

Have a great day.  Jesus Christ came to save "all" people-- no exclusions.    

For further reading:
John 3:16,17
Luke 19:10 

"A Powerful Mind"

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."  Romans 12:2

A friend and I were talking about how powerful our minds are.  They can make us believe something is so when it is not.  They can make us believe something as the truth when it is not.  I have two light switches in my hall- they both operate the same light.  If the light is on one switch is up and the other switch is down.  And vice versa if the light is off.  I can't tell you how many times I have turned off the light that was already off, or on, because of the position of the switch.  My mind tells me the light is either on or off because of the position of the switch, not because the bulb is shining or isn't.

Because our minds are so powerful we have to keep them renewed.  This is why the Lord warns us to take every thought captive.  Our thoughts will become actions if we think on them too long.  The devil knows this, and this is his main area of attack.  Our minds truly are a battleground.  Whoever wins in the mind, wins. 

The only way we can truly win and be victorious in our thought life is by committing each thought to the Lord.  We need to bring them into subjection and scrutiny to the Word of God.  We need to keep them lined up with what the Bible says.  When we do this, we bring the power of our minds under the power of the Holy Spirit.  And when our minds, and thoughts, are under His control we will not fall to the devil's attack and will walk in victory.

Have a great day.  Our minds are powerful; therefore, we have to keep each thought submitted to the Lord.