January 2020 Volume 2, Issue 1

It is a time of Celebration! Emmanuel has come! It is a New Earth! The Light of Life, the Prince of Peace has come down to reconcile us with God the Father!

The Word (see Jn 1:1-5 NASB) has become Flesh and dwelt among us. He was at the beginning of creation with God and the Holy Spirit. The Father sent His only begotten Son to become a sacrifice for us and to save us from our sin; God loved us that much in spite of what we have done! His love is something that we cannot comprehend. Jesus had no sin, but took all our sin upon Him and died once on the cross for us so that His followers would be able to have Eternal Life; and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (like God and His Son Jesus) so our relationship would be complete. The Holy Spirit became our guide and comforter. God within us. Everything has changed!

"Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ' " I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." ' " Jn 8:12 NASB

God also gave us free will to make our own decisions. The Light has come to Earth and everything has changed. The Light has illuminated a dark world. The Light has come, The Messiah is here!

It is a time of New Beginnings, a New Year, a New Decade, a clean slate. It is a time to look introspectively into our lives and determine what went right, what went wrong, and what we have learned. It is a time to set new goals and to determine how we will become better people, become healthier and ensure that we stay balanced Mentally, Physically, Spiritually, and Emotionally. We were made in God's likeness.

"Then God said, ' "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;" ' " Ge 1:26a NASB

God knows us best. It is a time to get our priorities straight. If we put God in the center of our life, pray, and read the Bible, we are on the right track. Jesus said,

"But seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness and all these things will be added to you." Mt 6:33 NASB

Moses with the Commandments:

' " Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart." ' Dt 6:4-6 NASB

When one of the scribes asked Jesus about the most important commandment:

" Jesus answered, ' " The foremost is, ' " ' Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' " The second is this, " 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' " There is no other commandment greater than these." ' " Mk 12:29-31 NASB

Look into your heart. Shine the light of love in all corners. Clear out those areas that should not be there and become a vessel for God's use and His love. As Christians we should appear differently than the people of the world. If we don't, then there is somethiing wrong. We are God's hands and feet. Let Jesus' light shine through you. We are not perfect by any means, but saved by the grace of God. We err, we repent, and pray for forgiveness, and then we make the necessary corrections, learning from our mistakes but not repeating them. Pray and ask for God's help in this area if it is a recurring sin. Let's learn from the Bible, a reliable source, and emulate Jesus, the one who matters. Jesus gave His life to reconcile us to God so that we could have Eternal Life. Let's clear out the bad areas of our Heart and Soul and fill them with the Light of Life.

This prayer will be helpful in rethinking our lives and in determining what we need to adjust, eliminate, or even help us to determine if we need to dig deeper in our searching. It is taken from Saint Augustine's Prayer Book, (Revised Edition, 2014), page 67. It is:

" 'A Prayer of Saint Richard of Chichester'

Thanks be to Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, for

all the pains and insults which thou hast borne

for me; for all the many blessings thou hast won for

me. O Holy Jesus, most merciful redeemer, friend,

and brother: May I know thee more clearly, love thee

more dearly, and follow thee more nearly, day by day.

Amen."

Many of us have idols in our heart, whether we want to admit it or not. These idols come in the form of things that are very important to us, like materialism, money, work, empire building, sports, people, you understand. These are things that we love to do or enjoy doing that are fine unless they become your God. If they take over your life and push God below first place in your life, then there is a problem. If you identify this situation, reprioritize. Lustful idols are sin and must be immediately eliminated.

Peace also begins in our hearts and spreads around the world. Peace begins with each one of us. We may not be able to change each person we meet, but we can make a huge difference in the world if our peace is evident. We will impact many who will in turn impact many more. It is like kindness, it multiplies. Peace is a long term project, but let us start now, one step at a time. God's peace within us is like nothing we know on Earth. Let our peace in our lives as Christians, be evident.

Remember, we are in a Spiritual war with Satan. (See Eph 6:10-18 NASB) He truly is the Father of Lies and Liars. Let us evaluate what we do and what we teach our children, either verbally or through our actions. We as Christians are not of this world. A note for children, teens, and others: Watch who your friends are. You are known by the company you keep. You become the people you associate with on a regular basis. If it doesn't feel like the right relationship, it isn't. Pray and end it. Jesus is your best friend, and He is with you always.

I have put together some great videos that all have wonderful messages. I especially want to thank Mary Youngblood, a 2 time Grammy Award Winner and Winner of other Native American Awards, for her beautiful "A New Earth" video. Her Native American background and insight is something for us to think about. Jesus Christ did illuminate the whole Earth, as well. God made all living creatures and creation. They all belong to Him. The Earth is alive. Mary Youngblood's beautiful wording, Native American Flute music and her video scenery are a real Treasure. Thank you! Enjoy!

Enjoy these fantastic videos and listen for their meanings. They tell a great story!

I hope you enjoyed the videos. If you feel like something is missing in your life, realize that materialism, people, and idols won't fill the Void in your Heart and Soul. That longing is fulfilled by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. God designed man with a longing for God. God made man in their image. He wanted us to be with Him and to have an abundant life.

The last video above, deals with becoming a New Creation in Christ. His chains of slavery to sin are broken, through Jesus on the Cross he has atoned for his sins and been reconciled to God, and now through God's mercy and grace he has Eternal life. God opened his eyes wide, gave him new hands and feet, they looked new, and God fixed his tongue. Remember, the power of the tongue. What is in the heart and soul comes out of the mouth and is shown in a person's actions. The power of life and death is in the tongue. Now the longing of the soul is satisfied and God has filled his hungry soul with goodness. Praise God! He is satisfied in Jesus! Amen!!!

If you haven't developed a relationship with Jesus Christ and even if you have, but it hasn't been a personal relationship, I encourage you to do so. Put Jesus in the center of your life, pray for His guidance and purpose for your life, and then listen for His answers. Spend regular time reading His Word and learning from the Bible and spend regular time in prayer. You will find that your relationship with God becomes much deeper.

I have included two prayers. The first one is from the 1558 Sarum Primer, "God be in my head" (called the Sarum Prayer). It is a short song of petition for God's presence. There are choral settings and it has been put to music. I am listing the prayer and then including the video below.

"GOD BE IN MY HEAD,

and in my understanding.

God be in my eyes,

and in my looking;

God be in my mouth,

and in my speaking;

God be in my heart,

and in my thinking;

God be at my end,

and at my departing."

The second prayer is very well known as, "The Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi". As you read through it think about each statement he makes; examine your heart and determine how you can become a better "you". Make this your best year ever and the next decade the best ever! Let Jesus' Light shine through you! This prayer is from Saint Augustine's Prayer Book, (Revised Edition, 2014), page 67 and 68.

"LORD, MAKE US INSTRUMENTS OF YOUR PEACE.

Where their is hatred, let us sow love; where there

is injury, pardon; where their is discord, union; where

there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness,

joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled

as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to

be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in

dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

--- ATTRIBUTED TO SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI"

If you don't know Jesus Christ, I encourage you to form a relationship with Him. He never promised to stop pain and suffering in this age, but He did promise to be with you always and help you through these difficult times. He will give you His strength and guidance, His wisdom, and His understanding to help you thrugh the good times and the bad times on your Earthly journey to Eternal Life.

If you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior right now, please do the following:

1. Repent of your sins both known and unknown.

2. Follow Romans 10:9,10,13 The NASB version of the Bible is listed below:

"If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation...13 for ' " Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved."'"

3. The Holy Spirit will now dwell within you.

4.. Next: Find a Local Church to join and be water baptised as an outward sign of a follower of Jesus Christ and a member of the congregation of the church you selected.

Congratulations!!!

May Your New Year be Filled with God's Blessings!

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!

Karyl K. Glad