Thursday's Thoughts

We are in the final week of countdown as we move toward Christmas. I am listening to Christmas music as I am preparing this note to share.

Ann and I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Each of you are a wonderful blessing to us and we are thankful for your friendship and our common identity as a part of the family of God!! We are also praying that God will bless you and your family as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior!!

Joy to the world

Joy to the world

Joy to the world, the Lord is come

Let earth receive her King

Let every heart prepare Him room

And Heaven and nature sing

And Heaven and nature sing

And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing   (G. F. Handel / Isaac Watts) (Emphasis Added)

This verse of from the Christmas carol, Joy to the World, has been on my heart and in my spirit this week. The words “Let earth receive her King and Let every heart prepare Him room” has resonated over and over in my heart this week. I will share with you the questions that the Holy Spirit kept placing in my heart. “Do I truly RECEIVE Him as my King” and “Am I truly making ROOM for Him? The keys words are RECEIVE and ROOM!! I sense that the Spirit is teaching me that both these actions must continue to take place on a daily basis. I must receive His presence and guidance on a daily basis and I must make room for Christ in all of the busyness of life. I truly believe that the enemy seeks to hinder me in each of these steps in my life. I just encourage you to take a long look at this challenge found in the words of the song but also plainly taught in the Word of God!!

This passage of scripture reminds us of the plan of God. 3 John 1:2. “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” (KJV) God truly desires to see us prosper and walk in good health BUT He also desires to see our “soul prosper.” The Spirit placed this passage of scripture in my spirit at the beginning of 2018 and now He is strongly reminding me of its importance as we near the close of 2018.

Is it possible that each of us needs to ask our self this question, “Am I as concerned about the prosperity of my soul as I am my financial status and the status of my health? I believe that our financial status and our health status are important to God. But how long has it been since I prayed about the “status of my soul?” It seems to me that the scripture teaches that God places a high priority on the status of my soul. I feel led to encourage each of us to sincerely and seriously ask God to provide the direction, guidance, and a stronger desire to see the continuing development of our relationship with Him in this coming year. The condition of my soul must also become a greater priority to each of us in 2019!! I truly believe that the times in which we are living as well as the spiritual condition of our society is demanding that we draw closer to God!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! I believe that God is calling each of us to identify that it is A RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST THAT IS THE GREATEST GIFT KNOWN TO MANKIND!!!