Happy New Year, Songbirds! I pray God's richest blessings for you and your families in the upcoming year ahead. With January comes New Years resolutions for many. My hubby (Captain Awesome) ; ) has the same one every year, which is "To be the man my dog thinks I am" end quote...gotta love a guy like that!
I know it's a funny way to put it, but I know what he's saying. He wants to strive to be a better man. In essence that is my resolution too, although I would not have thought to put it so cleverly as he did.
One of my biggest fears in life is that decisions I make today will result in regrets in the future that will impact those around me. I think that fear may stem from a lifelong realization that we are not promised tomorrow.
Growing up I had a reoccurring dream of sitting in a doctor's office and being told that I did not have long to live. It affected me in the sense that I have always been aware of my mortality. Instead of thinking like a lot of us when we were younger, "that won't happen to me" my thinking was "I am the one that will happen to" and I believe those dreams played a part in shaping that thought process.
I can tell you this, I have done plenty of foolish, sinful, reckless things in my life, but not nearly as much as I might have had I not been keenly aware of the fact that I was not exempt from bad consequences that would not only affect me, but affect others in my life as well.
I say all of that to say this...I want my life to have purpose and meaning, always keeping in mind my relationship with God and how that relationship is affected by my life choices. That did not even start taking place in my life until I accepted Christ when I was 21 years old. Until that point I was floundering. I was searching for I did not even know what and never finding it.
I cannot speak for others, I can only testify of my own experience. Idols satisfy for a time, but they do not endure. They do not endure because they are not what we need. Which leads me to the rest of the story.
There was a radio program named The Rest of the Story broadcast by Paul Harvey . It aired as a tag to the end of his programs starting during WWII and then in 1976 became a series he broadcast until 2009. It interested me because it was based on little known facts in regard to well known people.
Jesus is rather well known, regardless if a person is a believer. Here is the rest of the story regarding Jesus...He was born into the world, lived a sinless life, He was crucified and paid the penalty for our sins and He rose again (which makes Him alive)! Romans 1:1-7 NKJV. And as if all of this were not enough...He is coming back one day! Revelation 22:12-13 NKJV. These are "close fisted" facts (as my pastor would say) in regard to Jesus. In other words, not negotiable because they are doctrinal truths based on the Word of God.
You may say that these are not little known facts about a well known person named Jesus Christ. That may be true FOR BELIEVERS. What about about everyone else? I was an adult before I became a Christian. I was not raised in the church. It was when I was made aware of these facts (for me it was through reading a book which laid out the gospel) that God was able to speak to my heart and at that point, I accepted Christ as my Savior.
It seems hard to believe that a person can grow up and become an adult and not ever really hear the plan of salvation, yet it happens everyday. Which leads me to challenge not only myself, but all of us to remember that many, many people have not heard. And many, many people have not even had the chance to accept or reject the gospel because of this!
How very sad. Yet, God draws us to Himself John 6:44 NKJV. It is only sad if there is no one willing to share these truths with others. What if He is wanting to use us to accomplish that? He could use any means He wants to draw us to Himself, but what if He wants to use us and we are not listening and obeying His call?
My prayer and my song is that we do not allow opportunities in our every day life slip by us to share the rest of the story of Jesus Christ to those around us. No regrets...just spreading the rest of the story about our Lord and Savior!
Our youngest daughter and her husband served in Krakow, Poland for three years with the International Mission Board several years ago. As they were about to embark on reaching souls for Christ in Eastern Europe, our son-in-law put this video together. Yet the need is just as urgent in our own backyard, where ever that may be in this world. This song, titled Tears of the Saints by Leeland shares the urgency that exists for spreading the hope and good news of the gospel to all:
I know it's a funny way to put it, but I know what he's saying. He wants to strive to be a better man. In essence that is my resolution too, although I would not have thought to put it so cleverly as he did.
One of my biggest fears in life is that decisions I make today will result in regrets in the future that will impact those around me. I think that fear may stem from a lifelong realization that we are not promised tomorrow.
Growing up I had a reoccurring dream of sitting in a doctor's office and being told that I did not have long to live. It affected me in the sense that I have always been aware of my mortality. Instead of thinking like a lot of us when we were younger, "that won't happen to me" my thinking was "I am the one that will happen to" and I believe those dreams played a part in shaping that thought process.
I can tell you this, I have done plenty of foolish, sinful, reckless things in my life, but not nearly as much as I might have had I not been keenly aware of the fact that I was not exempt from bad consequences that would not only affect me, but affect others in my life as well.
I say all of that to say this...I want my life to have purpose and meaning, always keeping in mind my relationship with God and how that relationship is affected by my life choices. That did not even start taking place in my life until I accepted Christ when I was 21 years old. Until that point I was floundering. I was searching for I did not even know what and never finding it.
I cannot speak for others, I can only testify of my own experience. Idols satisfy for a time, but they do not endure. They do not endure because they are not what we need. Which leads me to the rest of the story.
There was a radio program named The Rest of the Story broadcast by Paul Harvey . It aired as a tag to the end of his programs starting during WWII and then in 1976 became a series he broadcast until 2009. It interested me because it was based on little known facts in regard to well known people.
Jesus is rather well known, regardless if a person is a believer. Here is the rest of the story regarding Jesus...He was born into the world, lived a sinless life, He was crucified and paid the penalty for our sins and He rose again (which makes Him alive)! Romans 1:1-7 NKJV. And as if all of this were not enough...He is coming back one day! Revelation 22:12-13 NKJV. These are "close fisted" facts (as my pastor would say) in regard to Jesus. In other words, not negotiable because they are doctrinal truths based on the Word of God.
You may say that these are not little known facts about a well known person named Jesus Christ. That may be true FOR BELIEVERS. What about about everyone else? I was an adult before I became a Christian. I was not raised in the church. It was when I was made aware of these facts (for me it was through reading a book which laid out the gospel) that God was able to speak to my heart and at that point, I accepted Christ as my Savior.
It seems hard to believe that a person can grow up and become an adult and not ever really hear the plan of salvation, yet it happens everyday. Which leads me to challenge not only myself, but all of us to remember that many, many people have not heard. And many, many people have not even had the chance to accept or reject the gospel because of this!
How very sad. Yet, God draws us to Himself John 6:44 NKJV. It is only sad if there is no one willing to share these truths with others. What if He is wanting to use us to accomplish that? He could use any means He wants to draw us to Himself, but what if He wants to use us and we are not listening and obeying His call?
My prayer and my song is that we do not allow opportunities in our every day life slip by us to share the rest of the story of Jesus Christ to those around us. No regrets...just spreading the rest of the story about our Lord and Savior!
Our youngest daughter and her husband served in Krakow, Poland for three years with the International Mission Board several years ago. As they were about to embark on reaching souls for Christ in Eastern Europe, our son-in-law put this video together. Yet the need is just as urgent in our own backyard, where ever that may be in this world. This song, titled Tears of the Saints by Leeland shares the urgency that exists for spreading the hope and good news of the gospel to all:
Father, we will lead them home...Amen.
Blessings,
Songbird
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