What a privilege we have as fellow believers,
I can remember as a kid at New Year's time thinking what will it be like far into the future. That date is not fixed in my memory, although it was probably about 1935, but the far future date of 1975 I am very sure of. That seemed a long way off and there certainly would be changes. Buck Rogers and Howie Wing were doing things up in the sky and space that were very exciting. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the new President and der Fuhrer was thundering away. We had a couple of recently new kings, but very little new or interesting around home to remember. Wow! 1975 will be a loong time from now! (Then)1941 although not a divisible by 5 year was a milestone that I had not planned. Oh yes, I had planned to leave home that year, and God knew this so He directed my path to Three Hills. Three Hills is where I had another birthday, a spiritual one, for here I heard that Jesus saves sinners and I was born again. If anyone be in Christ he is a new creature (creation). And since then I have been a new person with new desires and new plans and a new life. A life that will never end like the one I had wondered about lasting until 1975.
But when 1975 came, and it came quickly, it seemed that the new milestone would be 2000. If we ever reached there that would indeed be a long long time. But that came and went without all the predicted doomsday snags. Older by now so the next perceived goal would be 2005 -- and we did get there, although by now not able to do all we wanted to. Even Muriel got past that mile-stone year, although in mind she was going back to the earlier years. It is now just over four years that she has been in Heaven where time is not an enemy and where Jesus reigns.
Now another five year increment has passed and we are in 2010. It was off the map in 1935, but I am thankful to see it today. New Years day 2010! Resolutions? Sorry, I learned years ago that there will be enough failures and disappointments without setting yourself up for them. The day to day problems are not greater than God's grace, and that is what I have found. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but by His righteousness we are made citizens of Heaven and by His grace we are kept until the last day of this life.
Now living alone in The Chateau where there are no real demands or challenges, and without family the days come and go almost effortlessly. Oh, yes there is the weekly schedule with Church twice on Sunday and prayer meeting on Tuesday. This year I have not taught a class although I would like to have done so. Here we have good fellowship with likeminded believers, and opportunities to live for the Lord before those who have different world views. And there are books to read and the computer. Wonderful how much can be learned about what is really going on in the world with access to all views and countries. Makes you realize how much political leaders depend on filtering the news to stay in control, and how our God who knows all the news is arranging the future for His glory.
I have been reading a book by Joel Rosenberg called “Inside the Revolution” where he sticks to the facts. The only thing fictional is some of the names he uses for real people whose experiences he relates. This is a big book divided in three sections. The first two sections dig into the thinking and doings of the Muslim world, both the Radicals and the Revivalists. Both of them, he says, believe that Islam is the way, but one insists that jihad is the method while the other denies terror. Amazingly he has been able to present unchallengeable documentation for these two positions that is fair and should not offend even the Muslim mind. He does not preach until he gets to the third section of the book where he documents what is happening in the Middle East because of the evangelicals and churches and revival. Then his philosophy shows that Islam is not the way but Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. The promise of millions coming to believe that Jesus is the way is real, so 2010 is a bright year when Jesus will be building His Church. We have not seen or heard anything like it before on this scale. The media are ignoring this Church growth in Iran and Iraq firstly because they have a different world view and second because they really cannot take it in or imagine it. We need to know what God is doing. The world needs to see and hear of God’s glory.
My resolution for 2010 is to stick close to home and do what I can here. The grandkids are all growing up as I am growing old. Makes you think what will they be when they are making their own way? We pray that they all will follow the Lord closely and call upon Him for Salvation and sanctification. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Jesus.
2 Cor 5:17 So that if any one is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old state of things has passed away; a new state of things has come into existence.
18 And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and has appointed us to serve in the ministry of reconciliation.
19 We are to tell how God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not charging men's transgressions to their account, and that He has entrusted to us the Message of this reconciliation.
20 On Christ's behalf therefore we come as ambassadors, God, as it were, making entreaty through our lips: we, on Christ's behalf, beseech men to be reconciled to God.
21 He has made Him who knew nothing of sin to be sin for us, in order that in Him we may be-come the righteousness of God.
Greetings, love and prayers for the new year,
Don Casselman
note: I did remove some of the personal stories with specific names of kids and grandkids from this posting.