What He Has Done
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. Genesis 2:1 NKJV
Genesis 2 opens with the completion of a work, and what a wonderful sentence it is!As we come to the close of a year, many take time to look forward to the upcoming new year. There is nothing wrong with being excited about something new, something unknown; however, it is also important to reflect on what has passed. When Paul says in Philippians 3:13, “but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,” I do not believe he means forgetting what God has completed in his life. Paul, I believe, is forgetting the sin, shame, mistakes, and blunders of his past not necessarily the amazing things God has accomplished.
When Jesus healed a group of ten lepers, they all ran away rejoicing, but only one stopped, looked back at Jesus, returned to Him, and thanked Him for what He had done. Jesus even marveled at this man and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” Luke 17:17–18 KJV.
It is a good thing to wait expectantly for the new year to be excited for new ventures of faith and for new doors to be opened. But let us not forget what Christ has done for us. Let us not be like the nine lepers who received their healing and never looked back to Christ. One of the ways to look back is to partake in communion, it is a time to look back and praise Him for what He did on the cross 2,000 years ago, so that you and I can have a future and a hope to look forward to.
Happy New Year,
Pastor Frank and Darleen
Oh Little Town
Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me.His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times. Micah 5:2 csb
It’s been said everything in Texas is bigger! In America, generally, things are larger than in the rest of the world. I discovered that most cars outside of the States are much smaller, as the streets are smaller. It is a part of our way of life to believe that bigger is better. But is it really? As I have studied the Word of God, I find it amazing that God seeks the small, the humble, and the lowly to be used mightily. In God’s kingdom, small is big and big is small. He chooses the weak to confound the wise. He calls His followers to become like a little child. God’s Word is so countercultural to the norm we are used to.
When Jesus Christ came, He came exactly like Bethlehem; small, unassuming, humble, and poor. The Savior of the world was not born in a palace but in a stable, laid in a manger, and first announced to shepherds. God chose what the world overlooks to accomplish what the world could never do.
This reminds us that God is not impressed by size, strength, or status. He is drawn to hearts that are humble and available. In His hands, a small town can change history, a simple obedience can move heaven, and an ordinary life can be used for eternal purposes. May we never despise small beginnings, but instead offer ourselves just as we are to a God who delights in doing great things through what seems small.
Agape, Frank