"By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharoah' s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt..."
By faith is the theme of this passage of scripture from Hebrews 10:17-31. "By faith" is used to start a sentence 10 times according to my calculations. It is my impression that when the Bible says something this many times in a row, it must be VERY important.
To be honest with you, I had been thinking about this Christmas Day for a couple of weeks. This is the sixth anniversary of the Lord's providing a new assignment for Lynn and me. It was six years ago today that we were heading to church on Christmas Sunday morning, when Lynn and our son's family were involved in a car wreck. This instantly changed our lives and really the lives of our children and grand children-and the lives of our church families. All have since ministered to us in numerous and remarkable ways. And so as the Lord continues to provide blessings which are new each morning, it was wonderful to be in the Lord's house this morning with Lynn and ALL our family (children and grand children) worshipping with our church family celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As I was reading the above passage on Christmas Eve (in the One Year Chronological Bible that members of our church are reading this year) I could not get my mind off this passage. The Lord desires us to live by faith. I believe that when we do this, He will show us some miracles along the way that will renew our strength and encourage us to continue in our walk by faith as we encounter future trials (or assignments). Sometimes life's trials can be so difficult that about all we can do is to take the next step in faith, or do the next thing-clean out the closet, get a haircut, prepare the next meal, get up and go to work, get up and go job seeking, etc. Six years ago today, the doctors reported that they did not know if Lynn would live through the night. Well, she has certainly come a long way from those difficult days. We have been blessed in so many ways-the family, friends, and others who have ministered to us, new members of the family-four grand children, if my calculations are correct, and a stronger marriage with a love for each other that has grown through the years.
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 This is the One in whom we have faith-the One who will never leave us or forsake us.
Our Father, we thank you for the gift of your Son. Thank you for blessing us in so many ways. Thank you for providing for us and being with us always. Thank you that we could worship with our family and church family today. Thank you for the many ways they have ministered to us throughout the years. Would you be with those now who are going through deep waters. Some are grieving the loss of a loved one. Some are having difficulty with a marriage, with a job, with finances. Some are wondering what will be in store for them in the New Year. Give us all a faith that will allow us to walk each step of the way with the confidence of knowing that you will be with us in every situation and even provide for us rest in the midst of our difficulties. Forgive us of our sins, Father and grant us a faithful walk with you each of our days, for it is in your Son's holy name we pray, Amen.
Love,
Doug and Lynn and Family
By faith is the theme of this passage of scripture from Hebrews 10:17-31. "By faith" is used to start a sentence 10 times according to my calculations. It is my impression that when the Bible says something this many times in a row, it must be VERY important.
To be honest with you, I had been thinking about this Christmas Day for a couple of weeks. This is the sixth anniversary of the Lord's providing a new assignment for Lynn and me. It was six years ago today that we were heading to church on Christmas Sunday morning, when Lynn and our son's family were involved in a car wreck. This instantly changed our lives and really the lives of our children and grand children-and the lives of our church families. All have since ministered to us in numerous and remarkable ways. And so as the Lord continues to provide blessings which are new each morning, it was wonderful to be in the Lord's house this morning with Lynn and ALL our family (children and grand children) worshipping with our church family celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As I was reading the above passage on Christmas Eve (in the One Year Chronological Bible that members of our church are reading this year) I could not get my mind off this passage. The Lord desires us to live by faith. I believe that when we do this, He will show us some miracles along the way that will renew our strength and encourage us to continue in our walk by faith as we encounter future trials (or assignments). Sometimes life's trials can be so difficult that about all we can do is to take the next step in faith, or do the next thing-clean out the closet, get a haircut, prepare the next meal, get up and go to work, get up and go job seeking, etc. Six years ago today, the doctors reported that they did not know if Lynn would live through the night. Well, she has certainly come a long way from those difficult days. We have been blessed in so many ways-the family, friends, and others who have ministered to us, new members of the family-four grand children, if my calculations are correct, and a stronger marriage with a love for each other that has grown through the years.
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 This is the One in whom we have faith-the One who will never leave us or forsake us.
Our Father, we thank you for the gift of your Son. Thank you for blessing us in so many ways. Thank you for providing for us and being with us always. Thank you that we could worship with our family and church family today. Thank you for the many ways they have ministered to us throughout the years. Would you be with those now who are going through deep waters. Some are grieving the loss of a loved one. Some are having difficulty with a marriage, with a job, with finances. Some are wondering what will be in store for them in the New Year. Give us all a faith that will allow us to walk each step of the way with the confidence of knowing that you will be with us in every situation and even provide for us rest in the midst of our difficulties. Forgive us of our sins, Father and grant us a faithful walk with you each of our days, for it is in your Son's holy name we pray, Amen.
Love,
Doug and Lynn and Family
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