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RENEWAL IS ON THE HORIZON! Read Matthew 19:28-30

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For the past few years my wife Sue and I have been watching friends, who live nearby, remodel their 1930’s home.  We’ve watched with absolutely no envy.  None at all.  Two years and counting.  No, now three years… still not done.  Multiple years with stuff still all over the place.  Years and years… and a lot poorer.  Will it be worth it for them?   We certainly hope so for their sake, and also for all that the neighbors have put up with!  As we know, any major  (and sometimes minor) house project takes a lot longer and costs much more than ever thought of or budgeted for.  I was reading this brief portion from Matthew 19  and was grabbed by what Jesus said in verse 28.   ‘…at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man…’  Read those 11 words again.  I don’t know about you, but to me the world seems like an old house, falling apart, messing up the neighborhood, in need of major overhaul and remodeling.  That phrase of Jesus?  It’s powerful and should leave us with a feeling of anticipation and trust for the Lord’s timing.  ‘At the renewal…’ it’s coming, the newness is coming, the New Jerusalem, the new heavens and earth, new wineskins.  Not ‘if’ it comes.  There’s surety in His Words.   Conditions will be improving.  The cold, snowy, rainy winter will lift!  The drought will be forgotten as the rains come.  Bad times don’t last forever.  I’ve been in situations in my life that seemed to spell the end of everything good for me.  Like anxiety would be a permanent pain in my gut and I would forget forever what laughing was all about and what beauty life could hold out for me.  “At the renewal…’.  Bad weather finally lifted and none to soon for me!  Always with Jesus–the best is yet to come.  ‘At the renewal…’  He promises that the downward spiral will be turned to an upward fix.   ‘At the renewal…’  Not just a few things like getting the living room straightened up for company–but by all means don’t look behind the sofa!  Not just surfacey-stuff.  Jesus says ‘…at the renewal of all things…’  ALL things…my wife said,  ‘that will be nice’.  Yes, sure will!  Everything renewed.  Nothing left out, forgotten or rotten.  Decay will decompose!  Rubbish will vanish.  May I ask you a personal question?  I will anyway!  What needs renewal in your life ?  Some things that have been left to gather way too much dust?  I have a feeling that at the final judgement of believers, what we refused to take care of in this life, God will deal with in His own way.  Maybe we ought to deal with those sinful things now, rather that wait?  Think so?  May take extra time and cost lots more that we think.  So be it.   ‘ It Will Be Worth It All.’  That’s a great hymn to sing.  The renewal of ALL things in your life and in my life. Can you imagine?  Whatever the price.  However long it takes.   ‘It Will Be Worth It All’.  Look up to Jesus. Keep looking up to Him!  He’s worth it all!

Prayer:  Lord, how we need change in our lives.  To move away from any sins that drag us down and bring grief to others, especially those we love.  Please help us.  In Jesus’ name and for His sake.  Amen.

I NEVER THOUGHT OF IT QUITE THAT WAY BEFORE… 1 Peter 5: 6-11

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I never thought of it quite that way before.  Have you?  Now you’re wondering what I’m talking about!  I’m looking at 1 Peter 5.   Humble yourselves, Peter says, for God will lift you up.  That’s verse 6.  The next verse challenges me.  I read that I can cast all my worries on the Lord, because He cares for me.  This applies to you, too!  Get your heart and mind around that thought.  Cast your cares on Jesus!

I’ve got a New Testament Greek language lesson for you.  Hope you don’t mind.  You do?  Too bad!  Here it is, anyway!   Verse 7–‘casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you'(ESV).   ‘All your anxieties’–each and everyone of them.  None left out.  No exceptions.  No exemptions.

The word ‘cast’ means to toss aside, with a subtle meaning here.  ‘Casting’ would be like tossing a blanket on a donkey and letting the animal carry it for you.  Throw all of our worries… onto the Lord’s back.  Why?  Because He cares so much.  You can trust someone who really cares for you.  Can’t you?

But here’s what I never thought about before.  The word ‘casting’ in the original Greek is a participle, which modifies what Peter tells us in verse 6–about being humble before the Lord.  A participle tells us more about the verb that it refers back to.  Gives extra meaning and color to the original thought.  In this case, to be humble before the Lord is to cast all our worries onto His sturdy shoulders.  But what gets me is the thought that my worry and fears are really pride.  Thinking that I can take care of things myself.  Pride– relying on my own strength and ability.  Pride that I can do whatever, all by myself.   Calling on the Lord… only as a last resort, when all else has failed.  Never thought of my worrying, my sleepless nights, as having anything to do with pride.

I’m thinking about it now.  Shouldn’t you?  Being more consistent,  believing in the One who cares so much for us.  Whom we can trust more than anyone else.  To nestle close by Him, feeling His warmth and love.  I’m going to have to think about this.  Still quite foreign to totally trust in Jesus.   And I’ve been a believer for over 50 years.

And you?  We need to start casting our cares on Him without reeling the fishing line right back into our own grubby paws.  Start throwing our worries His way not using a boomerang!  Knowing whose we are and that He can be trusted…to care for us!

Prayer:  Thank you, Lord, that we can trust you.  For loving us, Your children.  All because of Your Son Jesus Christ.  Amen.

THOSE GOOD OLD DAYS!……Read Ecclesiastes Chapter 7

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Well, the good old USA is certainly experiencing some weird weather.  Cold, heat, snow, drought, flooding…you name it, it’s happened.  I can’t believe it– they’re naming winter storms like they do hurricanes.  ‘Winter Storm Alex’ or ‘Jose’.   And “Polar Vortex”!  Back home in New Jersey, when I was growing up, we called it a ‘cold snap’!  Big deal…had a couple every winter.  Not anymore.  These are catastrophic weather events!  The likes of which we’ve never seen before!  We’re glued to the tube!  Not me.  Drought in California?  Hurricanes off the Florida coast and up into my old home state?  Rain and more rain here in the Pacific Northwest?  Have seen all of this many times… and I predict more for the future!  Ain’t I just so smart?!  My Grandfather Fischer used to say, ‘You’re smart like your father, you dope you’!  I do think genius runs in my family!  How about politics?  Well, how about it?  Two parties with absolutely no one getting along(why do they call them ‘parties’–who’s having fun anyway?!).  Nothing new about that.  Right?   Just read US history (or that of any country for that matter) and it’s the same old, same old.  Names change, yes.  Technology advances, sure.  But weren’t the good old days better? Isn’t that why they’re called ‘the good old days’?  Civility, black-and-white television, slide rulers, diagramming sentences,  baseball players who had to work a 2nd job in the winter just to make ends meet.  How about those crew cuts!  Good old days?  Look at Ecclesiastes 7:10–Solomon warns against such thinking.  He says it’s not even wise to ask about those days.  Why not?  Maybe it’s because it’s more like ‘chasing the wind’ again.  Looking back too much can waste the time God gives us right now.  It’s today… and this moment that He is giving us.  Fresh like “daily bread”.  “This is the day the Lord has made”– I would quote that verse at the beginning of every worship service at our lovely church in Aberdeen, Washington, meaning that last week has led us to today, to worship Him in the here and now.  ‘This IS the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it'(Psalm 118: 24).  Like driving a car with that big windshield in front of us to look outward and forward.  Exactly where we should be looking MOST of the time.   Small rearview and side-view mirrors to glance back.  To drive safely, we must look back just briefly but keep our steady gaze on what’s ahead.  Doing the opposite is to invite trouble.  Of course,  glance back.  We don’t want to repeat the same old sins,  taking those wrong turns over and over again.  Look forward, press ahead, leaving those things behind that hold us back.  That’s what the Apostle Paul said (read Philippians 3:13 and 14).  Good old days?  I still think that people were better when we weren’t obsessed with material things and the almighty dollar.  We have too much.  Little things mean almost nothing anymore.  Spending too much time looking back in the rear view mirror of your life?  How about all the time I spend thinking about the past?  Like my relatives…most long gone.  We had some real characters in our family.  My Mother’s cousin, Grace.  She and her husband, Tom, were strong Christians, and funny as funny can be.  I miss them.  Or Aunt Bertha and Uncle Bill.  His laugh and her gently slapping him on his bald head!  How about Cousin Jane, who was poorly nicknamed ‘Stale Garbage’.  Don’t ask why.  I have no idea; but her running away, marrying someone not acceptable to her parents, split that little family apart, never to be put back together again.  Or Aunt Betty and Uncle Herman, who had the best basement parties on New Year’s Eve, even though she was terrified that one of their own grandchildren would leave a speck of dust on the living room sofa.   Maybe those ‘good old days’ weren’t…well, you know!  Press forward…look forward… to all that God has for us in the days to come!  Think about what’s next?  Not the undertaker, but the uppertaker!  Maybe that’s why they call it heaven?  Because it’s so out of this world!  Onward…and forward with Him!   Amen to that?

Prayer:  Lord, we do look forward to all the blessings you have in store for us.  Just the very best from you to us.  Thank you so much.  We love you for being our Lord and Savior.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

WHAT THOSE CLUB MEMBERS DO!…Isaiah 56: 1-8

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Many years ago I was a member of the Men’s Club.  Remember?  If you do, tell me about it for I have almost no recollection of it at all!  Went to the Men’s Club a couple of times, only for dinner.  Never talked with any other member.  Not involved in any activities.  Can’t even think of anything they ever did other than eat, talk and drink.  So, what’s the big deal?

What I do know is what it’s like to be a member of the body of Christ, His church.  I’ve found a vein of gold, rich verses indeed, in the book of Isaiah, chapter 56.  I’m focusing in on verses 6-8.  What is His ‘club’  like?  What do ‘club’ members do?  Verse 6 is amazing–‘…foreigners who join themselves to the Lord…’  Join the ‘club’!

In Isaiah 56 these people were ‘foreigners’, people not originally from Israel.  Outcasts.  Outsiders.  Aliens and strangers.  What do they do?  Throw a ‘pity-party’?  Feel sorry for themselves?   No, they ‘join themselves to the Lord’.  Accepting His invitation.  Coming right in, experiencing the mercy and grace of our Lord.

He’s THEIR Lord as well.  The welcome mat was out!  The backporch light left on!  By the way, this was Israel’s mission and calling from the very beginning.  To be a light to the world.  Pointing the way, diminishing the darkness, illuminating the path to Yahweh God.  This was what they were to do.  This is still what members do today.  When I first heard the Good News about Jesus and His offer of salvation, I was eager to embrace Him.  Didn’t know much about God or Jesus.  Almost nothing, to be frank.  But I knew that I wanted to ‘join myself to Him’… and I did!

Life has never been the same!  What does it look like to be in His ‘club’?   Isaiah 56, verse 6 says that those who ‘join themselves to the Lord will minister to Him’.  Requiring no graduate theological training or even ordination.  Any one of us can- and will– ‘minister’ to the Lord.  Truthfully, we’ll want to… from the bottom of our hearts.  Like an engine, no longer content to remain in neutral, eagerly moving the spiritual gears into forward motion.  Driving ahead…for Him!

Then Isaiah writes that those in this ‘club’ will ‘love the name of the Lord’.  Love Him.  In Bible times, your name revealed your character.  To love God’s name is to love all that He is.  Joined with Jesus– no longer a ‘have to’.  Now a ‘want to’.

Isaiah 56: 6 says that we will ‘be His servants’.  His wish, our command–what we love to do.  What pleases the Lord will be what we eagerly choose.   His mission…our passion!  That’s what we do in the Body of Christ…join ourselves to Him, serve Him and love Him.  That’s what we want to do…for Jesus!

Prayer:  Lord,  we want what you want through the power of your Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

WHAT ABOUT THOSE MUSTARD SEEDS?….Read Matthew 17: 14-21

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Last time I intended to focus in on the ‘mustard seed’ of faith that Jesus referred to in Matthew 17 verse 20.   Guess what?   Not one iota!  Did I forget?  Am I losing it?  No, to the former; you decide on the latter!!  Be nice, now!  Remember where we left off yesterday?   We’ve been to the top of the mountain with Jesus witnessing His amazing transfiguration!  Elijah and Moses were with Jesus, all caught sight of by Peter, James and John, the inner circle of His disciples.  Beginning at verse 14,  Jesus and these three are coming upon a crowd of people.  A man comes right up to Jesus, kneeling before Him, stopping Him in His tracks, begging for mercy for his son, who has some kind of devilish condition that causes him great bodily harm along with utter heartache for all who love this troubled youth.  The distraught father says that he has sought the help of the disciples… but to no avail.  The disciples were useless!  And how Jesus’ words must have stung their ears and scorched their souls–  ‘O Unbelieving and perverse generation’.  Who… us?  Those words would be painful to hear. Especially with what they saw up on that mountain.  The Father’s affirmation of Jesus.  Being with Moses and Elijah.   The entire happening should have lead to more faith in Jesus.  They certainly should have no doubts about what they had experienced up there. What they had seen with their own eyes.  The modern word ‘awesome’ would be an understatement at best.   And then He says that if they only had a tiny bit of faith, like the size of an itsy-bitsy mustard seed, they could pray and see God work utter miracles.  Like moving mountains.   Jesus wants us to witness His work in this world… and in our lives.  It doesn’t mean we must be a Billy Graham or a pastor or missionary.  But who can tell?  Jesus refers to a small mustard seed.  Nothing  pretentious,  putting on airs or wearing masks.  Simply trusting in Jesus.   Moving mountains through prayer, refusing to be discouraged by all the demonic and demoralizing  forces around us.  Mountains of bitterness and revenge–move aside!   Mountains of unforgiveness– let it go!   Allowing God to pick up our emotional rubbish for His disposal–good riddance.  Moving mountains with a tiny mustard seed called faith in Jesus our Lord.  Got any mountains to move?  Who doesn’t… except the one who likes to hide behind a self-righteous facade.  I have mountains of mountains.  To talk to God about.  Big mounds of bad memories and guilt laced with shame and embarrassment.  Dirt high up of what some people have done to me, which I need to let go of.  To leave things behind, so I don’t weigh myself down, all hunched over, with what the Lord has already lifted from my shoulders.  What a silly scene indeed!  Carrying around what’s been removed.  I know I’m not the only one.  You know who I mean!  Get current with what God has already forgiven and, here’s the best part,  forgotten.  Hills of wasted time and opportunity.   Are you with me?  You understand because you’ve been there as well.  Plant the mustard seed called faith, asking the Lord today to increase your trust in Him.  Faith will grow.  Sprouts seen where fallow ground used to be.  He’s a good farmer!  With but a mere tiny seed of faith.  Not very big.  Small is okay.  Don’t need gargantuan faith.  That’s the promise of the tiny mustard seed.  More accurately, the promise of Jesus Christ.  That should be good enough for me…and you?

Prayer:  Thank you, Lord, for being so trustworthy.  We can lean on you when everything else is so shaky in life.  We do trust you.  Increase our faith.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

I’M IN THE CLUB!… Isaiah 56: 1-8

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I’m in the club!  Really?  Which one?  The Men’s Club!  In the town where I pastored, there was a club exclusively for men.  And I mean exclusive!  Men of wealth.  Men of prestige.  Men of position.  The building, which housed our club, was an old-fashioned, 19th-century home, located on the hill heading out of town, a stone’s throw from New York City.  We were exclusive, preclusive and exceptional(I must keep that new Thesaurus out of reach!).

I know exactly what you’re thinking!  How did I get into this club?  Good question.  The answer?   All male pastors in town had a complimentary membership to the Men’s Club.  So, there it is!  Gloat if you must!  I was rubbing shoulders with men I had absolutely nothing in common with.  Hanging out, drinking martinis, ragging about politics, bragging about stock portfolio winners was not my cup of tea. Totally out of my league.

However, there’s another ‘club’ that I’m a member of.  Membership has nothing to do with the requirements of the ‘Men’s club’.  Quite the contrary.  Money won’t help.  Your pedigree, meaningless.  Education is fine, but none required.  Open to all,  male and female.

Of course, I’m talking about being a member of the body of Jesus Christ, the Church Universal.  How do I find out about joining?  Why not turn to the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, chapter 56.  There’s no fine print.  Nothing secret about this society.  Look at verse 4.  I love this:  ‘…who choose the things that please me…’  These are the ‘Club’ members–anyone who loves to please the Lord, who wants to follow His instructions and words of wisdom found only in His Bible.  No myths or fables between its covers.  No ‘containing’ of His Word, leaving some doubt as to its total veracity.  No.  All from the Holy Spirit of God, through His divinely chosen human authors, to bring us the gift of the Bible.  Cover to cover.  Word for word.  Genesis to Revelation.  All of it.  His ‘Club’ members love to please Him.  Our passion is His mission… for our lives.  Christ’s church has members of all types and colors, shapes and sizes.

We’re created in the image of God.   Most important of all,  brothers and sisters in Christ!  Color of skin, irrelevant.  We’re in the same ‘Club’!  The body of Jesus Christ!  What could be better?  Certainly not that old Men’s Club.  Forty years later,  I can’t even find one reference to it on the internet.  For me, only a vague and distant memory.

The ‘Club’ of Christ, His Church?  Now, that’s a different story indeed!  Growing and growing, onward and upward, more diverse and colorful all the time!  That’s the one for me!  You too?  Complimentary membership…from His grace and mercy!

Prayer:  Thank you, Lord, for welcoming all of us, who believe in you, into the church.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED!… Matthew 17:1-23

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Can you imagine?  Chosen by Jesus.  Not all of us.  A few.  Three to be exact.  Selected to go up that mountain. Why us?  Peter, James and John.  We can’t say ‘no’ to Him.  How could we?  Not to Jesus.  If He says ‘follow’… we follow!  Then strange things begin to happen.  Jesus’ face shines as bright as the sun.  His clothes

WALK ON WHAT?…Matthew 14: 22-32

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This Bible passage puzzles me.  You know this story.  Jesus has fed thousands of hungry people.  Previously, their stomachs were probably growling!  He sends them on their way… well-fed!  The 12 disciples are in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, when a fierce storm blows through that canyon-like lake tossing them every which-way with water spraying all over.  Jesus remains up on the hillside, keeping a careful eye on them.  Finally, He comes toward His fearful and panicked disciples.  Walking on the water!

What did you say?  Walk on what?  Those 12 really question what’s happening now.  Wait a minute.  That’s not a ghost or a monster.  It’s Jesus!  Really?  Are you sure?  First the storm.  Now this!  Can you imagine what Peter comes up with next?   Peter wants Jesus to let him walk on water.  Do what?  Why?

Here’s what puzzles me.  Why not ask Jesus to calm the storm?  Why not beg for His help?   I don’t know.  I have the sneaking feeling that even he wasn’t sure.  Except that he knew that Jesus would help.

That’s a good idea for us to hold onto today.  And tomorrow as well.  Jesus cares.  He helps us.  Peter steps out of the boat.  Starts out fine.  One step in front of the other.  Looking straight at Jesus.  Floating barefoot on whitecaps, on the Sea of Galilee!  What a feeling!

But then he senses water up to his ankles, then his shins and knees.   He gets nervous, looking here, there… and finally down.   He falters…with that sinking feeling!  Who hasn’t felt that?  So, Peter cries out for help.  Jesus catches him.  Then our Lord, tenderly but firmly, speaks with Peter about his itsy-bitsy faith and those pesky doubts.  Peter needs to do some ‘faith’ soul-searching.

I was wondering–what does the Lord needs to speak to me about?  My easy worrying?  Miniscule faith?  How about you?

Peter learns a lesson or two.  Like what?  Little baby steps of faith will grow in Jesus’ hands, even in the face of devilish doubts and faltering faith.  Let Him help.  It’s what He does best.  Peter probably thought he was quite strong, but he was all wet!  Jesus will help us.   He will speak with us.  Like prodding us to be more than we are.  More like who we were created to be, made in the image of God.

Interested in that?  I am.  Let’s journey together…with Jesus!  I’m stepping out of the boat.  Look up.  Take His hand.  His grip is firm.  We can do it!   ‘(We) can do all things through Christ…'(Philippians 4:13).

Prayer:  Lord, we take your hand in ours.  We may slip and fall at times, but we know you are always there to lift us up!  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

MORE WIND CHASING!… Ecclesiastes 1-2 Again!

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I wish my life didn’t involve so much ‘chasing after the wind’.  As King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes chapters 1 and 2.  I have a secret I’d like to share with you.  Many years ago, I made a commitment to read the Bible from cover to cover in the new year.  A Roman Catholic priest friend said that he’d like to also.  But a Lutheran pastor friend said that he had read the Bible through a few times.  Well, he wasn’t going to get one up on us!  No way!

I found a Bible-in-a-Year reading calendar and started out with Genesis, Psalms and Luke.  Two Old Testament and one New Testament every day.   If followed, I’d read from Genesis to Revelation by December 31st!   Now,  I knew that there would be some days when that would not be possible, but also that God was understanding.  Nevertheless, I really tried my best to stick to that schedule of Bible reading.  Every day with Him in the Bible.  Day by day, week by week, month by month, I was navigating through the entire Bible.

I didn’t notice anything different for awhile, but change was coming into my life.  And I don’t mean nickels, dimes and quarters, either!   You see, I was moving from Ecclesiastes 1:6-‘The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course’–to Ecclesiastes 2:26-‘To the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness…’  From wind that blows here, there and who-knows-where; to God’s wisdom that anchors me firmly in Him.

Guess what?  I accomplished my goal–read the entire Bible that year!  Almost 30 years later, I’m still at it!  Every year–every book and letter, every chapter and verse.  Won’t stop.  Too much to lose.  Won’t stop.  Too much to gain…by staying with Him in His Word.

Up for the challenge?  In this new year, how about reading your Bible from cover to cover?  Or listening to it on CD?  Or on one of your digital devices(whatever that may be!)!  But don’t say I’ll do it…do it!  A good place to find a number of daily Bible reading schedules would be on the internet, at of all places, ‘Daily Bible Reading Schedules’!  Even I found that!  Have fun looking.  Find one that interests you.  Then go for it.  Do it!  Begin today.  And get ready to notice that life is changing for you…with Him!

Prayer:  Lord, we want to get close to you.  Help us to open our Bibles every day as we open our hearts to you as well.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

MORE WIND CHASING!……Read Ecclesiastes 1-2

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  I wish my life didn’t involve so much ‘chasing after the wind’.  You remember King Solomon’s phrase from Ecclesiastes.   Chasing,  pushing, shoving,  fighting for…things that are just ‘wind’, meaning so little.   Like some years in my ministry.   Would have to admit that I began poorly.   Then, I had 20 very satisfying years as a Master Financial Planner with a large American investment firm.   Praise God I ended pastoral ministry with much less chasing you-know-what.  But looking back, way back,  I just shake my head at so much time and opportunity squandered and frittered away.  ‘Chasing after the wind’–as Solomon claimed in Ecclesiastes chapters 1 & 2.  Hope you’ve read those two chapters–again.  Doesn’t take a lot of time.  Maybe 10 minutes.  In that space of time, we could channel-surf the mass nothingness of cable TV or Hulu, HuHu or whatever they’re called!   For me,  what’s with this new italic I’m seeing?  It’s shown up from who-knows-where?  I must have pressed a wrong key on my computer.  Must have…but which one?  Who cares as I don’t know how to fix it anyway.  So, where’s my wife?  This is ruined!  Help!  Sue!  To my rescue once again!   Ah, she’s done it!  Back to normal.  Thank you, Lord… and Sue!  Doesn’t take a lot of ‘wind’ to waste 10 minutes…at least not in my life.  See what I mean?  Am I the only one?  But I do have a secret I’d like to share with you.  Many years ago, I made a commitment to read the Bible from cover to cover in the new year.  A Roman Catholic friend of mine, a priest, also admitted that he had never done so in his many years of ministry.  But a Lutheran pastor friend of ours said that he had read the Bible through a few times.  Well, he wasn’t going to get one up on us!  No way!  Not a Lutheran, anyway!!  So, I found a Bible-in-a-Year calendar and started reading.  It had 2 Old Testament and 1 New Testament readings every day.  If followed, I’d read from Genesis to Revelation by December 31st!   Must confess that I had made this same commitment when I was a student at Bible college many, many years before.  Think I kept that resolution through possibly part of one week!  That’s terrible to admit.  But truth be told.  ‘Truth or Consequences’– I can clearly see the consequences of not allowing God’s truth to penetrate this thick, Irish-German skull (and soul) of mine.  Not good.  Not at all.   Now, after I had made this new commitment to read the Bible every day, I knew that there would be some days when that would not be possible but also that God was merciful and understanding.  Nevertheless, I really tried to stick to that schedule of daily reading.  Every day with Him in His Word, the Bible.  Day by day, week by week, month by month, I was navigating through the entire Bible.  I didn’t notice anything different for awhile, but change was coming into my life.  And I don’t mean nickels, dimes and quarters either!  You see,  I was moving from Ecclesiastes 1:6: ‘The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course’–to Ecclesiastes 2:26: ‘To the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness…’  From wind that blows here, there and who-knows-where;  to God’s wisdom that anchors me firmly in Him.  Guess what?  I accomplished my goal–read the entire Bible that year!   Almost 30 years later, I’m still at it.  Every year–every chapter, every verse.  Won’t stop.  Too much to lose.  Won’t stop.  Too much to gain…by staying with Him in His Word.  Up for a challenge?  For this new year, how about reading your Bible from cover to cover?  Or listening to it on CD?  Or on one your digital devices(whatever that may be!)?  But don’t say I’ll do it… do it!  A good place to find a number of daily Bible reading schedules would be on the internet, at of all places, ‘Daily Bible Reading Schedules’!  Even I found that!  Have fun looking.  Find one that interests you.  Then go for it.  Do it!  Begin today.  And get ready to notice that life is changing…for you…with Him!

Prayer:  Lord, we so want to get close to you.  We need more of you and less of us in this crazy world.  Help us to open our Bibles every day as we open our hearts to you.  We need your help to do just that.  In Jesus’ name and for His sake.  Amen.