Well, Christmas is here again. Are you ready? If you're not ready by now you've probably waited too long.
As you enter into the day I want to encourage you and your family to,take some time to reflect upon the birth and life of Jesus Christ. Maybe you could gather your family together to read the account of the birth of Christ in the either the Gospel of Matthew or Luke. These familiar passages would be a great place to start the day.
Many would say that the Gospel of John doesn't have a birth record. Yet, the Apostle John says, "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." So much truth is couched in those few words. "Became flesh" is the entire story of the the account of Mary's visit by the angel to the visit of the angels to the shepherds.
Then, the words "dwelt among us" covers everything from His birth to His Ascension back to heaven. Please take time to consider all that Christmas contains.
Aren’t I cute? Although I am not a cat lover, I found this picture quite amusing. Let’s face it, dogs are much cuter, but maybe this smile will make you smile.
We are living in a time when everyone seems to have some sort of ailment. Every day it seems we are learning of some new sickness or disease. It is almost as if we should never venture out for fear of contracting some dreaded disease. If I had just seen the future 15 years ago I would have invested in the stock from the Purell company! I mean, let’s not touch anything lest we die! People are so paranoid now that after we do anything we feel the need to cleanse ourselves. What ever happened to “mud cakes?”
Pills exist for just about everything. From pharmacies to vitamins, from doctors to health food advocates we are told any number of ways we can be healthier. “Go to the gym,” some will say. Run more, ride your bike more, play golf more, exercise more, these and other mantra can be heard. Yet, it seems more and more of society suffers from some sort of phobia or illness. How can we get healthier? How can we get better? Let me suggest a way that King Solomon recommended over 3000 years ago.
Proverbs 17:22 says, “A merry heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” Yes, a joyful outlook on life, a good time of laughter, will bring health to our bodies. Doctors and researchers have studied the phenomenon of laughter and health and conclude that they co-exist. The more one laughs, the more one possesses a joyful outlook, the healthier one will be. It is both biblical and scientific. Stories are told that Norm Cousins was told he didn’t have long to live. So, as part of his therapy, he was watch humorous movies and cartoons so he could laugh at least ten minutes every day. Reportedly he said for every ten minutes of laughter related to an hour of pain free living. Now, there’s a reason to laugh.
Sunday night we will have a “Family FUN Night.” The design for the night is to have FUN! Is that unspiritual? Based upon Solomon’s word I don’t think so. In fact, at least three time in Proverb he mentions a “merry heart.” (Prov. 15:13,15; 17:22) So, Sunday night we will attempt to have as much FUN as we possibly can. And, it will be much more FUN if YOU would come! If you are reading this and you don’t live in our area, just get your family together sometime for some FUN times. We will play games, sit around and talk, and provide a FUN video to watch. It’s your choice how to have FUN. But, most of all we want to have FUN.
The service will begin at 5:00 pm. We will sing a bit, I will be speaking on the subject of joy and FUN, and then we will be dismissed to have some FUN.
To get you started I found these definitions which I hope will be FUN for you. These are some “red neck” definitions.
Benign – What you be after you be eight!
Catscan – searching for the cat
Barium – What you do with dead folks!
Morbid – a higher bid than I made
Seizure – Roman Emperor
Well, ok, enough is enough. Just laugh more today. Enjoy the Lord and His provisions. If you are suffering, grieving, or in pain, my prescription is this, “The Joy of the Lord is my strength.” (Neh. 8:10)
Can we really be at the end of another year? Wasn’t it just a few days ago we were turning our calendars to 2013? It seems like we just got into the habit of writing 2013. Now we must retrain ourselves to write 2014! Wow, how time flies.
So, what did you accomplish in 2013? Was it a “happy” new year? What makes you happy? Happiness and joy are essential to life. Wise King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 17:22, “A merry heart does good like a medicine…” Some people try to “medicate” themselves to happiness. What they find is that no medicine can bring lasting happiness. Rather, a joyful heart will keep us looking at life from a healthy perspective. And, as we know, genuine joy and happiness come from a right relationship to the Lord. So, did your happiness in 2013 come from that source? May 2014 by a “happy” new year as you draw closer to the Lord.
Was 2013 “new” for you? Did you get some new things? Maybe this was year to replace your old car with a new one? Or, maybe you swapped out your old refrigerator for new one? Or, maybe you moved into a new home? But, sooner or later, all of these new things simply become old. They will fade and deteriorate. What about you, are you new? Did you just keep doing all the “old” things? Or, did you grow spiritually so that you added new things to your walk with your Saviour? Revelation 21:5 says, “Behold, I make all things new.” Our God is in the business of replacing old, worn out things with new ones. How well did you do in 2013 replacing your old ways with new ways? Reread Ephesians 4:22-24 to be reminded of this process.
How long was your “year”? You might be saying, “what a ridiculous question.” Of course, we were all given 365 days in 2013. That breaks down to 12 months or 52 weeks or 8,760 hours or 525,600 minutes or 31,536,000 seconds! And, as of January 1, 2014 another set of those numbers will be available. But, just as in 2013, so also in 2014, some of us will not make it to December 31. Our life will have ended some where in those days. Moses says in Psalm 90:12, “Lord teach us to number our days…” This year, will you go through life oblivious to eternity? 2014 is to be another opportunity to prepare ourselves for life after death. Which of us reading these words will not be on the earth at the end of 2014? I don’t know, but I do know some will not be.
As you reflect upon the new year, may the Lord give us a “happy new year” because we receive our joy from a right relationship to Himself, because we are being made new by His grace, and we are willing to reflect upon eternity. Let’s decide now to make 2014 a truly HAPPY NEW YEAR!
