Certainty in an Uncertain Future

"We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel," Jesus' two disciples sadly told a stranger after visiting the Lord's tomb. Little did they know the stranger was Christ Himself.

Using scripture, Jesus showed the two disciples what they considered a disappointment actually marked the beginning of greater blessings for them. The words of the Lord warmed the men's hearts and they urged Him to stay with them. And He did. You can read the account in Luke 24. Jesus stood in the midst of His disciples and He gave them peace and joy. He didn't promise a trouble-free life on earth; only heaven is described as such a place. Jesus said in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

I am surrounded by people I love, who've already been threatened with great loss in the new year. A young man faces the possibility of losing his job, a family could lose their home, and a childless woman fears losing her beloved husband to cancer.

Life is uncertain. But one thing is sure: Jesus Christ remains faithful. His promises stand, and if we trust in Him, He will supply our every need. No matter how difficult life gets, His word continues to minister to hearts, imparting the wisdom, the strength, and the grace we need to triumph. Jesus Christ is our Blessed Hope. As His disciples discovered, only through Jesus can we find peace and joy. Abiding in Him gives us access to ever greater blessings. I don't know what the future holds, but I look forward to my days ahead in Jesus Christ.

TODAY by Grace E. Easley

Dear Lord, I need Your help today.
I walk along a rocky way
and this would be a barren land
Without Your love, Your helping hand
Whatever yesterday has cost
It is TODAY that matters most
The truth remaining in it all
Is that we stand with Thee, or fall.

I need the strength that You can give
Each single moment that I live.
stay by my side for I can see
that I am nothing without Thee
Though yesterday is gone and I
May never see tomorrow
And at its longest, life is short
and holds its share of sorrow
What blessed joy each time I find
That every new TODAY...is mine.

Dear Reader, HERE'S WISHING YOU A TRULY JOYOUS NEW YEAR.

May you realize every aspect of the good Lord's love for you every second of 2009 and beyond!

Path on Mt. Hymettus, photo by L. Trecroce

Celebrating a Brand New Day

How many of us actually keep our New Year's resolutions? How many even remember what last year's were? Dropping our bad habits at some once-a-year vow is about as doable as swallowing a submarine sandwich whole. It's impossible. Real change, like nourishment, is accomplished consistently in bites.

The bites of renewal the Lord has given us are not our years, but our days. I love waking up each morning with the knowledge that the Lord has given me another fresh start, another chance to better please Him.

I snapped the above photograph from my balcony early one morning, because there's nothing more inspiring than seeing the sun rise. A new dawn, a new day full of hope and promise. New Year's Eve fireworks do not hold a candle to the sense of celebration the rising sun brings. The prophet Jeremiah said in Lamentations 3:

"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

No one resolves to smoke or drink, live like a jerk, and be mean to people. Our resolutions reflect our desire to be good. And only Jesus Christ, the only sinless man who lived on the earth--God in the flesh--can give us the power to live right. He is called the "Sun of righteousness" who arises with "healing in his wings". If we look to Him daily for our improvement, we will find our resolutions achievable.

HAPPY NEW DAYS!