SHINE

Monday night, December 11, we had the privilege of going to see the Christmas lights at the Discovery Park in Union City, TN. Thank you to all that went and made this trip special. A special thanks goes out to our drivers for driving us there. It was a good time for fellowship and memories, and the lights were pretty cool but not as cool as the night. One of the neat things about Christmas is the lights. I remember as a kid loading up in the car to go see Christmas lights.

What is the draw? Could it be we appreciate the effort? I know the effort that goes into hanging lights. I know what it takes to hang a few icicle lights on our gutters and cannot imagine the effort some put into their displays. Jesus calls us to be light in the world (Matthew 5:14-16). It is going to take some effort on our part to shine in this world (Philippians 2:14-15). It would be easy to go along with what everyone else is doing, saying, wearing, etc., but as Christians we are called to be holy or sanctified, which means set apart. I cannot go along with what the world does when it goes against what God says, and that takes effort.

I think one of the things that I like about Christmas lights is that they are different than the same old same old. As you travel around at dark, you might see a porch light or a street light, but mostly it is dark. Then you see the Christmas lights. They really stand out in the darkness. We are drawn to them like a bug (hopefully without the end results, lol). As Christians that is what we are called to do as well. We are called to bring attention, not to ourselves, but to Christ (1 Corinthians 6:20). Shining so others will see us would be wrong. We are to be spotlights pointing others to Jesus.

It will take effort, but shine, Christians, in this world of darkness that we might show Jesus, the light of the world.

Plans for 2024

Acts chapter 17, verse 11 tells us that the Bereans searched the scriptures daily. What a great example for us! With that thought, I am excited to announce to you some plans for next year. We are planning on reading the entire New Testament next year. Have you ever read all of the New Testament? If we want to be people of the Word, then we have to get into the Word. Soon I will be putting out sheets that have a reading schedule on them. The schedule will have us reading five chapters a week. If we read less than one chapter a day, we will make it through the entire New Testament.

I would hope this could be something you do with your family. You all sit down and read a chapter in God’s word, discuss it, have a prayer, and maybe sing some songs. What a great way to spend fifteen minutes with God and your family. Schedule a time to do your study. Maybe you are morning people and you start the day by waking up a little earlier for this, or maybe it is a good way to wind down before bed. Find a time, and hide God’s word in your heart (Psalm 119:11). What if I miss a day and get behind? You have seven days to read five chapters. You could use Saturday and Sunday for a make up day if you need one.

My plan is to preach on those chapters. That usually will come with me preaching about something in those chapters the Sunday following the readings. Sometimes I might preach about those chapters on Sunday night, also. Sometimes Sunday night might be a preview of the chapters to come because I might not be preaching the next Sunday. Things come up, but I am going to do my best to cover the chapters we have been reading. Can you guess what the sermon will be about? I hope this will be a blessing for the church here that will help us grow closer to God, our families, and each other.

There's a Great Day Coming

Several Wednesday nights ago, we studied 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. It is a powerful passage. It can be spine-tingling when we ponder the Lord’s return. There seems to be some confusion at Thessalonica about the dead in Christ. Will they miss Christ’s return? So Paul writes to them about this in these verses.

First of all, the dead in Christ will rise again when Jesus returns just as Jesus rose again. In fact, the living will not precede the dead in Christ in the resurrection, meaning the dead in Christ will rise first then the living will be caught up with Jesus. Then we shall be with Him forever. What a day, what a glorious day that will be! Can you imagine? Maybe you are at work, school, outside cutting the yard, or running errands in town, and then it happens. A figure begins to descend from heaven with a shout. We hear the voice of an archangel and the dead in Christ begin to rise. Or maybe we are one of the dead and all of a sudden our lifeless body is resurrected. We speed toward heaven to meet Jesus, the one we have been living for, and we get to go home, leaving behind this world of sin and sickness.

What a blessing to ponder on that day. A day that the Bible teaches us is coming. It is easy to get distracted by so many things going on in our world and in our lives that we lose focus and begin to wonder if there is really any purpose to all of it. The Bible answers that question with a resounding yes. We do not grieve death like others do because they have no hope. So many in our world today are just simply living for the here and now but not the eternal. Their funerals are sad because everything they have loved, worked, and lived for is over. But for the child of God who has been storing up treasure in heaven, death is just the beginning of life. I hope you will comfort one another with these words. There is a great day coming. Are you ready?