January 1991
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Happy New Year! January 1st seems always to be a time for reflection and resolution. As we look back at the past year, we certainly can see some very encouraging things. We have seen folks saved and baptized. We have seen Christians draw closer to the Lord. We have seen God do great works in the lives of folks. Yet it is still a time for resolutions. There is much left for us to do. There are many who are unsaved, and many Christians who are not walking after the things of God. The world at large is crying for missionaries to bring the gospel. What are we at going to do? We must resolve to continue to go forward in our battle against the Devil. We must resolve that Christ will be at the very pinnacle of our priorities, and that we will love Him, obey Him, and serve Him to our fullest ability. We must resolve to see ourselves as Christ sees us, and the world as Christ sees it. We must resolve to know God intimately through His word and commune with Him in prayer continually. As we make these resolutions, and keep them, I believe that God will give us a tremendous 1991.
A passage of scripture which I like to read at the close of a year is II Timothy 4:6-7. Paul writes, "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." Though December 31st does not mean the end of life, it does sign the end of a year, 1990 can never be relived or reclaimed, we must offer it to God as it is. As we offer it, can we say that we fought a good fight? Did we withstand the Devil? Did we wear our armour? Did we use the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, properly? Or did we give in to temptation, and faint when the struggle grew difficult. Did we finish the course that God set down for us to run, both as individuals and as a Church body? Or did we get sidetracked along the way. Have we remained true to the doctrines, principles and practices of the Bible or have we allowed the world to dictate what we believe and how we live? As we reflect on the answers to these questions, let us resolve that when we ask these questions at the end of 1991, that we will be able to say with Paul, "I have."
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