5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter;
They talk of laying snares secretly;
They say, “Who will see them?”
6 They devise iniquities:
“We have perfected a shrewd scheme.”
Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
My heart will rejoice—indeed, I myself;
16 Yes, my [a]inmost being will rejoice
When your lips speak right things.
Colossians 3:8-11 New King James Version (NKJV)
8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
30 Then Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: 2 If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.
664 Hear my voice, O God, in my [a]meditation;
Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,
3 Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,
And bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words,
4 That they may shoot in secret at the blameless;
Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.
"Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." Psalm 30:4-5 (NIV)
So much can be said for this past year. It has been a time of great challenge for this world. Faced with a virus that we had not seen before, panic set in and many changes ensued that caught us all by surprise. Whether appropriate actions were taken will be discussed for a long time to come, but lives were impacted in ways that brought hardship and pain.
To those who lost loved ones, my heart goes out to you. Most of us have either family or friends who were touched by this illness. So much sorrow has been felt across the nations as the death count has grown. Though we have now learned ways to treat and prevent it, this ugly disease has left a deep mark in our hearts.
Along with the sorrow came the anger that business owners and employees encountered as doors were locked and incomes ended. An article from Fortune in September says that approximately 100,000 businesses in the United States that shut down because of COVID will never again re-open and there have been more since then. This has devastated dreams and lives.
In addition, divorces increased as people were forced into staying at home for long stretches. Depression and suicide rates climbed as fear of the future carried with it a loss of hope for those who were struggling mentally and emotionally.
As we prepare to usher in 2021, I want to assure you that the Lord has been with us through all that has taken place. He has heard every prayer and seen every tear. I cannot explain the whys of what has happened, but I can promise that He has a perfect plan. This has been a time when His children have drawn near to Him and have learned that, indeed, His grace is sufficient and His mercies are new every morning. I have often heard the saying that, "Faith isn't faith until it is all you are holding onto."
I will share with you what I have learned as I have encountered times of grief, tragedy and uncertainty. First, pour out your heart to the Father. Lay your head in His holy lap and cry your tears over your pain and loss. Express your fears and your need for Him. The Psalms show us that David was not hesitant to be honest about His feelings with God and we shouldn't be either. Second, praise Him for who He is and thank Him for all He does. Third, take hold of His hand and never let go! Spend much time in His Word and in prayer. It is His strength that will allow us to tackle whatever is before us and His compassion that will mend our hearts and allow us to reach out to others that are hurting.
May we all find peace and truly feel His joy in this coming year. God bless.
13 Do not withhold correction from a child,
For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.
14 You shall beat him with a rod,
And deliver his soul from [a]hell.
5 The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times,
And the strength of salvation;
The fear of the Lord is His treasure.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;
But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.
12 Apply your heart to instruction,
And your ears to words of knowledge.
23 O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
24 O Lord, correct me, but with justice;
Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.
25 Pour out Your fury on the Gentiles, who do not know You,
And on the families who do not call on Your name;
For they have eaten up Jacob,
Devoured him and consumed him,
And made his dwelling place desolate.
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”
9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it,
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10 They shall [a]fall by the sword;
They shall be [b]a portion for jackals.
10 Do not remove the ancient [a]landmark,
Nor enter the fields of the fatherless;
11 For their Redeemer is mighty;
He will plead their cause against you.
2 Blow the [a]trumpet in Zion,
And sound an alarm in My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble;
For the day of the Lord is coming,
For it is at hand:
2 A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains.
A people come, great and strong,
The like of whom has never been;
Nor will there ever be any such after them,
Even for many successive generations.
10 Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and [a]drove them back as far as below Beth Car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name [b]Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
6 When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
7 Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
8 My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.
Anne Herbert, an American journalist and author, wrote a few words on a placemat in Sausalito, California in 1982. You may not know the name, but you will definitely recognize the quote because it covered the bumpers of many vehicles over time.
She wrote, “Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty.”
Later that very thought became the title for her book which was published in February, 1993. In Ms. Herbert’s book, she wrote about people who practiced random kindness and senseless acts of beauty. That book, of course, went on to inspire the bumper sticker and a children’s book.
What seemed so apparent as a life lesson, people thought of as something brand new. Many were amazed by it. Refrigerator magnets with this phrase appeared in gift and souvenir shops all across the nation.
The interesting thing about her quote is that it truly is a very basic principle that we should do daily. It is nothing new or alien to us. We should be kind to one another and marvel at the beauty around us all the time. The simple lesson of her quote should be obvious to each of us.
As I was thinking about that bumper sticker, I began to reflect on another simple lesson similar in nature, but written long ago. This lesson comes from the Bible and tells us to do more than just practice acts of kindness. We should be motivating one another to do the same.
In chapter ten of the Book of Hebrews, the author writes, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.”
As we approach the end of the year and look to the new one, we should encourage one another to act out of love and do good works. Looking back at the past year, we saw acts of violence, hatred and fear. The headlines of newspapers, news programs and websites seemed to use one or more of those three words. Everyday we would hear yet another story of someone lashing out at another. Instead of coming together in a time of global crisis, violence, hatred and fear separated us.
During this pandemic, we should have encouraged one another to act out of love and to do good for one another. Don’t get me wrong. There were many acts of selflessness and kindness from first responders, healthcare workers, police officers, firefighters, truckers and all those who kept our grocery shelves stocked. Each day there were stories of those brave individuals like UPS and Fedex drivers who continued to deliver packages, including packages with medication. Postal workers who continued to deliver our mail. Farmers, ranchers, meat packers, distributors and so many more kept food on our tables. All of them together kept our nation and others going.
But, all the good, heartwarming stories were far outweighed by senseless acts of violence and hatred. Instead of motivating one another to do good out of love, many chose to lash out and destroy. Small businesses were burned and so many people were hurt or killed. The news was filled with more and more stories of violence. For me, it got to a point when I just turned off the television and tried not to concentrate on the evil of the world.
I responded by helping a person return a grocery cart or climb up on a shelf to help someone get a bottle of detergent. If we would just reach out to one another in love and do one single simple act of good, things would be so much different. In time, we would be doing good things all the time and encouraging others to do the same. It is amazing how just doing one thing can snowball into an avalanche of goodness and love.
As you prepare yourself for the new year, I ask each of you to resolve to do good out of love and expect nothing in return. If we just make it a point to do just one good thing, it will become a habit and, over time, habit makes us do it all the time.
Jesus, in chapter five of the Gospel of Matthew, said, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
When you practice to be that light and let your good deeds shine for others to see, not for personal glory but for the glory of our Heavenly Father, I can assure you that you can stand firm in His grace.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
For he will despise the wisdom of your words.
