I no longer make new years' resolutions. I do, however, use this occasion to reflect upon my personal goals, my relationships with family and friends, and most importantly, my relationship with God. The past two weeks I have been off of work and had a chance to do some vacationing and some work around the house and the church. As I was evaluating my goals I must admit that I felt a little trepidation about the new year. I am back to work and beginning two classes today. Some of the thoughts that have gone through my mind are, will I have enough time to do two classes at once? How will I balance church work, my job, and college work? The list goes on. You all know the feeling.
Last night I visited at a church where I have preached for much of this year. I was not preaching but just wanted to be in the house of God among friends. It was a beautiful service with a wonderful message about not letting our dreams die. At the end of the service there was a candlelight communion service. (In my denomination we do communion only on special occasions such as Easter and for the New Year.) After the communion each participant was invited to pull a scripture card from a box of promises, read the verse aloud and pray the prayer that was written on the back of that card.
The verse I pulled was Isaiah 41:10- "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee."
It was a solid reminder that I have no need to worry about tomorrow or what I can't control. My faith is not in my ability to balance duties or to make good grades. My faith is in the Lord Jesus and He is far more capable than I to handle any situation that might arise. He is with me and my favorite part is - " I will help thee". When I need help God is always by my side. I will not have to do my homework, job assignments, or church work alone. I will never preach one sermon alone or write one paper alone. The Lord is with me and His Spirit will help me. What a promise!
Maybe some of you reading this also have some concerns. They will be as varied as your needs. They may be financial, physical, job related or a combination. Whatever the need, He is with you. A child of God has no need to fear. God always takes care of His own.
God Bless and Happy New Year,
Sullivan Jones
Last night I visited at a church where I have preached for much of this year. I was not preaching but just wanted to be in the house of God among friends. It was a beautiful service with a wonderful message about not letting our dreams die. At the end of the service there was a candlelight communion service. (In my denomination we do communion only on special occasions such as Easter and for the New Year.) After the communion each participant was invited to pull a scripture card from a box of promises, read the verse aloud and pray the prayer that was written on the back of that card.
The verse I pulled was Isaiah 41:10- "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee."
It was a solid reminder that I have no need to worry about tomorrow or what I can't control. My faith is not in my ability to balance duties or to make good grades. My faith is in the Lord Jesus and He is far more capable than I to handle any situation that might arise. He is with me and my favorite part is - " I will help thee". When I need help God is always by my side. I will not have to do my homework, job assignments, or church work alone. I will never preach one sermon alone or write one paper alone. The Lord is with me and His Spirit will help me. What a promise!
Maybe some of you reading this also have some concerns. They will be as varied as your needs. They may be financial, physical, job related or a combination. Whatever the need, He is with you. A child of God has no need to fear. God always takes care of His own.
God Bless and Happy New Year,
Sullivan Jones