I have so much to be grateful for this past year. God has graciously allowed me to recover from
my major surgery a year ago and to hold the cancer back this year. He has blessed me with a new grand-daughter
and brought her through surgery to repair the hole in her heart. He has given my 97 year old Mother health to
bless us with her company another year.
I have been surrounded by my family and we have had precious times
together. Even more than that He has
given me peace and joy in Him. As I left
the Christmas Eve church service last night I was thinking of how much God has
blessed me.
I love going to church and feel I am quite selfish about it
as I get far more out of it then I give back to God. Since I was diagnosed with cancer and started
doing some more in-depth examination of my soul I find the high point of the church service for
me is the benediction. I'm not sure
there is any better definition of a benediction than the "pronouncement of
God's blessing at the end of a service." To me it is extremely encouraging, but also
challenging. When I get ready to leave
the service and hear the words from Hebrews 13:20-21, Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd
of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord,
equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing
in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen
I am reminded of how great God is, how much He loves me, that my task on earth
is to do His will and that He gives me everything that I need to do it.
When I am discouraged on a Lord's Day and hear the blessing taken
from Numbers 6:24-26, The Lord bless you
and keep you: the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto
you: the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen I leave feeling overwhelmed that God blesses me
and gives me peace. When things seem
hopeless I am reminded of where true hope comes from by the benediction from
Romans 15:13, May the God of hope Fill
you with all joy and peace in believing, So that you may abound in hope By the
power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Despite constant failures, I am especially challenged to
leave church and spend the week living with the knowledge that I have been
given so much by God in the way of His blessing and to live all week as a
reflection of Him. The benediction from
Colossians 3:15-17 reminds me of that. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of
Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one
another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in
your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. The benediction that comes from Ephesians
3:16-21 reminds me of what an awesome God I serve. I pray
that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his
Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through
faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have
power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and
deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--
that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him
who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to
his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in
Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.
Christmas is upon us, the old year is almost gone and a new
year about to begin. I wish for all my
dear friends that you might remember with me the birth of Jesus Christ who came
in the flesh to save His people from their sins and give them new life. I wish for you that the sins and neglect of
this past year may be wiped out of your sight as well as God's as far as the
east is from the west and that you might be renewed in your spirit to live
every moment of your life this coming year as one transformed by Christ's work. May you be blessed and challenged by the
benedictions as you leave God's house each Sunday this year!
