January 2025
First Baptist, as we are about to enter 2025, I am wondering…
Do you usually make New Year’s resolutions? If so, how do they ordinarily work out for you? I don’t necessarily think there is anything wrong with making resolutions. The problem comes with what we do to ourselves to try and achieve them.
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How can we define what a ‘resolution’ is?
Resolution: to make a firm decision; to do, or not to do, something. Do we begin each new year with good intentions? Of course, but in time, do we also begin to weaken? Our resolve goes away. We fall back into old habits or become so discouraged because we’ve put too much pressure on ourselves to fulfill the resolutions we’ve made.
How often do the same resolutions wind up on our list year after year after year, and never get accomplished?
That used to happen to me, but no longer. Years ago, I came up with a concept I call New Day’s resolutions. That is, I live each day resolving certain things, knowing that I may fail or miss something. If what I set out to do gets accomplished, praise God! But if it doesn’t get accomplished, I put it on the next day’s agenda. This way, the pressure is off because each new day is a chance to renew and work on specific things. I don’t have to live by an intimidating list, watching the calendar for results as we see days, then weeks, then months, slip away.
This is the formula I discovered in making resolutions work; renew them every morning, not every year. This principle comes directly from the Bible. Lamentations 3:22-23 – ‘The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassion's never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.’ We can even apply the words of Jesus in being mindful of the daily pressure to accomplish our resolutions. He said in: Matthew 6:34 – ‘So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’ We have all heard the phrase, ‘One day at a time.’ That’s what Jesus is talking about, and that is, I believe, the right way to approach any resolutions, goals, etc., we make.
So go ahead and make those resolutions if you are led to do so. But just be careful not to put too much pressure
on yourselves to accomplish them. Use the Bible verses above as a guide.
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Pastor Thomas
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December 2024
Want To Be Blessed Over The Holidays? Give To Others!
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As we are now in the midst of the holiday season, it can be a lonely, depressing time for some people. However,
it doesn’t have to be that way at all. How can a person navigate through the holidays, and still feel blessed about his/her life again? This is a very important question. For some, the holidays are the loneliest time of the year. We may be remembering loved ones who have passed, or those in the hospital or rehab facilities. We may not be able to travel to visit family/friends this year. Perhaps we just find ourselves not desiring to participate in seasonal
celebrations/traditions. Can we find some encouragement from the Bible to help us remedy this situation? Our Lord Jesus Christ said in Acts 20:35 – ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ This is the key, the
answer for not just holiday time, but throughout the entire year. When we give to others, we become a blessing. We are thinking of someone else besides ourselves and our circumstances. If we are freely giving to others, we
won’t feel so isolated or alone because our attention/energies are focused elsewhere.
May I make some suggestions that each of us can do to brighten up our holiday time?
1) Keep in regular contact with family, friends, and the members of our congregation
2) Volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen
3) Visit patients in a nursing home, hospital, or rehab center (if permitted)
4) Attend church services all throughout the holiday season
5) Read your Bible, especially the stories of Christ’s birth, which can be found in the gospels of Matthew and Luke
6) Organize and/or host a party or meal for the underprivileged in your area
7) Participate in local holiday activities that are God glorifying
8) Pray for God’s wisdom, guidance, and direction in your life for the coming year
I am certain you can think of even more things you can do to keep busy and productive during the holiday season. If you concentrate on giving as opposed to receiving, you will find many blessings coming your way from unexpected sources. Above all, we should be giving thanks to God for all He has done in our lives, not
just at this time of year, but all year round.
Consider these verses:
Psalm 136:1 – ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His loving kindness is everlasting.’
Psalm 92:1A – ‘It is good to give thanks to the Lord.’
First Baptist, I pray that Almighty God will bless each of you during this precious holiday season. December 2024 vol. 2024-12 “...became obedient to death -- even death on a cross!”
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Pastor Thomas