You* are beloved of God.

(You* here refers to believers who have put their trust in Jesus Christ, who have received Christ as Lord and Savior.)

You* who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ. (Jude 1)

You* are beloved children. (Ephesians 5:1)

You* have been chosen of God, holy and beloved. (Colossians 3:12)

You* are brethren beloved by God. (1 Thessalonians 1:4)

Beloved

Beloved: loved dearly; dearly beloved; esteemed; cherished. “Beloved” is a deep, unconditional love, made by God’s choice (not the loved one’s behavior).

Unfathomable Blessing

God’s love for believers in Christ is beyond comprehension. Almighty God, creator of the universe, chose to love us, and chose to adopt us as His children. The love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is with us every moment of every day. God protects us, guides us, sanctifies us. His love for us will never fail.

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Father, please let us come to know, really know, Your love for us. Help us rejoice in Your love. Help us trust You and Your love every moment.

The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off. (John 4:50)

And kept going:

As he was now going down … (John 4:51)

Believe and Do

As we live our lives, the Lord tells us to do something.

Our responsibility is to believe what Jesus said, and start doing what He said.

We have to get started.

And then we have to keep going.

We Don’t Always Start or Keep Going

I certainly can see areas where I don’t start, or delay a start, or fail to keep going.

Here are common examples:

Not starting a daily Bible study or quitting after a short while. There are lots of stories about making a commitment to read the entire Bible in a year and quitting at Leviticus!

Or knowing the Lord wants you change your diet or exercise program and …. Well, you may know that one.

Or …

Reportedly, 80% of New Year’s Resolutions fail by February.

BUT! God started and keeps going

The great news, though, about the Christian life is that God does not give up!

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)

Is there something the Lord has told you (me) to do? Start today. And keep going.

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Father, thank You that You never give up on us, never giving up on me. Forgive me for knowing what You want me to do, but failing to start or failing to keep at it. I’m determined to get going and keep going. Thank You that You are with me and for me.

You* are special.

Yep, you*.

You*: This is for believers in Christ, those who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

You* were chosen by God the Father. (Ephesians 1:4)

You* were justified (declared righteous). (Romans 8:30)

You* were redeemed (saved from the penalty of sin). (Ephesians 1:7)

You* have been adopted by the Father as His child. (Ephesians 1:5)

You* have received the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13)

You* are greatly loved by Almighty God. (1 John 3:1)

You* can go, with confidence, to God’s throne of grace. (Hebrews 4:16)

Your* prayers are heard. (1 Peter 3:12)

You* are being sanctified, being made into the image of Christ. (Romans 8:29)

Through God’s providence, His absolute sovereignty, everything that happens to you* is used to make you more godly, more like Christ. (Romans 8:28)

God is for you*. (Romans 8:31)

Christ will never leave nor forsake you*. (Hebrews 13:5)

You* have obtained an inheritance; you* are a co-heir with Christ. (Ephesians 1:11, Romans 8:17)

You* will be glorified. (Romans 8:30)

You* will spend eternity in heaven. (John 3:36)

Are you* special? Yes! Special indeed.

~~~

You*: You* here refers to believers who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If this isn’t you, PLEASE repent of your sins, and turn to Jesus Christ in belief and trust.

PS: And there is more, of course!

Emotions: Good and Bad

God gave us emotions as part of being human.

Our emotions can help us understand our hearts, comprehend our situation, and lead us to words and actions that please God.

At the same time, our emotions have been corrupted by sin. Our emotions can yank us around, trap us in dark spots, lead to faulty thinking, and result in sin.

Our life-long challenge is to corral our emotions by the word of God, bringing our emotions more and more in line with the truth, God’s truth. The task is to sanctify our emotions.

Emotions arise from thinking, so our minds must be renewed.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind … (Romans 12:2)

Do not be afraid (feeling), He has risen (fact). (Matthew 28:5-6)

Take courage, it is I (fact); do not be afraid (feeling). (Matthew 14:27)

Do not be afraid any longer (feeling), only believe. (Mark 5:36, Luke 8:50)

My soul is bowed down (feeling). But this I call to mind and therefore I have hope (perspective). (Lamentations 3:20-24)

There are two major activities to sanctify our emotions:

First, deliberately learn the Bible and obey what God says. The key to controlling our emotions is to fill our minds with God’s truth. Feed the mind and the emotions will follow.

Second, systematically observe and question your emotions, and challenge the emotions that do not align with God’s word.

The Psalms are a good instructor. Here the Psalmist identifies his emotions, asks why, and moves to the reality of God.  

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence. (Psalm 42:5)

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Father, help us learn and obey Your word. We know that You made us and that Your way is best. Help us bring our emotions into conformance with Your truth. We want to please You.

We are commanded to rejoice. Commanded.

But how? How can we rejoice in troubled times, in suffering, in loss?

Joy is a Perspective

The key for me is realizing that joy is a perspective, not an emotion.

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials… (James 1:2)

… we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance… (Romans 5:3)

“Consider” and “knowing” are perspective words, not emotional ones.

When we are in trials or tribulations, if we focus on our emotions, we won’t be able to rejoice at how our faithful, loving sovereign God is at work. We must shift our focus to God.

God-Centered Focus

We need to focus on the reality of our holy God at work in us and in the world. We must believe and trust in Him.

Work on remembering who He is and His promises to believers; the reality of what He is currently doing.

Repeat what you remember, what the Lord has shown you.

Tell the Lord what He taught you.

And do this during your trials and tribulations, all through your days, whether pleasant or not.

And rejoice!

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Father, help us center our view of the world and our circumstances on You. Please give us an eternal perspective. Help us believe all that You say. Help us trust You fully, regardless of our situation, knowing that You are working your holy plan, and that You will make all things right. Help us rejoice in You.

When you are in an especially beautiful or loving time, or when you know you have pleased God, or when you see a spectacular view of earth or the universe, you may have had a momentary chill.

Or you may get a chill when you see evil, sensing God’s wrath.

Soul Shivers

I’m speculating, but might these mysterious chills be glimpses of our incomprehensible, awesome God? Might they be soul shivers?

God is Transcendent

God—Father, Son, Holy Spirit—has life in Himself. He is eternal, from everlasting to everlasting. (e.g. John 5:26)

God is totally different than we are, His created humans. He stands above and apart from His creation. He is beyond time, beyond space. He is separate from us, unique, perfect, unchanging. He is infinite, not bound by limitation. ALL things are possible for Him.

Seeing the Indescribable

In Scripture, the reaction of those seeing the glory of God often has been to fall face down as dead or be overwhelmed with one’s own sinfulness.

Then I [Isaiah] said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” (Isaiah 6:5)

Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, while the men who were with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great dread fell on them, and they ran away to hide themselves. So I was left alone and saw this great vision; yet no strength was left in me, for my natural color turned to a deathly pallor, and I retained no strength. But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground. (Daniel 10:7–9)

When I [John] saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. (Revelation 1:17)

Try to Glimpse His Awesome Holiness

Every living thing in the universe will die—except God who has unending life. You yourself, all humans, all animals, birds, fish, plants, stars. Eternal God remains.

Think about something you find incomprehensible, while still knowing that nothing is impossible with God. For example, not only does He know all 8+ billion living humans, every hair on their heads, but He knows them all the way back to Adam and Eve. And He knows their futures.

In His providence, He fits together innumerable actions to achieve His holy plan. We see that over and over in Scripture. And, for believers, He is working all things together for good. Contemplate what is required to make that possible. (God!)

Meditate on God’s otherness.

God’s Revelation of Himself

Yet, God has chosen to reveal Himself to us! Stay tuned…..

Worship our Holy God!

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Father, help us appreciate Your Holy, infinite, perfection. Help us keep You in mind through our days, living in a way that pleases You.

The first Sunday in 2025.

Brethren, … one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13–14)

What do we need to forget about 2024 (and earlier)? What do we need to do to press on?

Forget

Clean out the past: don’t be stuck on the good or bad. Be ready to press on.

Don’t rest on laurels. Don’t rest on accomplishments. Don’t coast on a past success. Past victories are great, but don’t let them reduce your motivation to press on.

Forget the sins we have confessed and learned from. Don’t be stuck in the past.

If we are weighed down with a particular sin or failure in 2024 (or earlier), even though we have confessed it to our Lord and received His forgiveness, we MUST forget and press on. Sometimes people talk about not being able to forgive themselves. This may really mean that they are stuck in the past. Get over it. Don’t lose what you’ve learned, but move on.

Paul had a lot to forget: “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief.” (1 Timothy 1:12–13)

Forgive those who have sinned against you. If you don’t forgive, the offense will stay in your mind, slowing you down. Don’t be stuck in the past.

Press on

It is a new day. It is a new year. Press on, working on your sanctification, working towards becoming in the image of Christ. Sanctification is partly God and partly our responsibility. Work on your part! (Philippians 2:12)

More to come!

Happy New Year!

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come. (Revelation 4:8b)

Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory. (Isaiah 6:3b)

Our Holy God is totally above and separate from His creation. God is truly incomprehensible.

Our Holy God is also present in our world, infinitely perfect.

Our Holy God says to us: Be holy, for I am holy. 

Like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15–16)

WHEW!

What we think about God is crucial

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever. (Psalm 111:10)

Versus

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good. (Psalm 14:1)

New Year’s Resolution

Typically, I’ve identified goals for the coming year (sometimes with detailed plans!), or, more recently, one big resolution that I hoped would guide my actions during the new year.  Sometimes that has been powerful.

This year, I want to focus on better understanding our holy God. And strive to be more holy myself (gasp!).

I am beyond intimidated by this. My new year’s resolutions are usually much more concrete, and appear much more possible. But we are told to seek. And we are told that God is a rewarder.

So here I go …………

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10–11)

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” (Luke 2:13–14)

Good news of great joy.

Our Savior, Christ the Lord, was born! Celebrate with great joy.

All people are sinners in need of a Savior. We are eternally sunk without a Savior.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

The good news is that salvation is offered to all. To whoever believes in Him.

The invitation is open to all … including those you are praying for.

Glory to God. Peace.

The second message about Christ’s birth, this time from a multitude of the heavenly host, is qualified. The message applies to those with whom God is pleased

Peace from God is for those with whom He is pleased… that is, believers.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing. (Romans 15:13)

Rejoice!

Our Savior was born!

Rejoice!

Love your enemies. (Matthew 5:44)

Love your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27)

Love other Christians. (John 13:34)

“Love” in each of these is agape love, the love of decision, choice, will. Agape love isn’t emotion, it is obedience.

The Bible has a lot to say about each of these! Study. Believe! Pray! Obey!

Family

Christmas movies, TV shows, ads, and music picture ideal family gatherings. Ahhhh.

But, of course, families aren’t perfect, they may include believers and non-believers, and often there are various difficulties, trivial to enormous, even total separation.

Family conflict is always based on sin and/or unforgiveness. Unforgiveness includes the full range: mistakes, misunderstandings, and sins. We are commanded to forgive. We are commanded to love.

Love other Christians

If you love the Father, you love other Christians.

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. (1 John 5:1)

All will know you by your love.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34–35)

Characteristics of loving other Christians

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. (Romans 12:10)

Accept one another. (Romans 15:7)

Serve on another. (Galatians 5:13)

Bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)

Show tolerance for one another in love. (Ephesians 4:2)

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted. (Ephesians 4:32)

Encourage and build up one another. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Live in peace with one another. (1 Thessalonians 5:13)

Seek after that which is good for one another. (1 Thessalonians 5:15)

Do not speak against one another. (James 4:11)

Fervently love one another from the heart. (1 Peter 1:22)

And more!

Reconciliation?

Reconciliation involves at least 2 parties. But in so far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

If reconciliation isn’t wise or possible (but pray, pray, pray before coming to that conclusion), it is still possible to behave in a godly manner (e.g. not calling attention to the issue, not slandering, not gossiping, etc.)

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. (Romans 12:18)

Take stock, get ready for the King

There are still 10 days to Christmas. Take stock. Do you love your enemies? Do you love your neighbor? Do you love other Christians? Is there sin in your life that you need to confess? Do you need to ask forgiveness of someone? Do you need to forgive someone else? Do you need to have a loving talk with someone? (I’m talking to myself also, of course!)

Let’s get ready for the King.