Thought for January 5

 History:

  • 1861: 250 federal troops sent from New York to Fort Sumter
  • 1886: "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" published
  • 1887: First school for librarians in the US opens at Columbia
  • 1925: Nellie Ross becomes first female governor--Wyoming
  • 1930: Bonnie Parker meets Clyde Barrow
  • 1933: Work on the Golden Gate Bridge begins
  • 1959: Bozo the Clown show premiers
  • 2020: First SARS-CoV-2 genome map published allowing scientist to identify Covid -19
  • Born: Zebulon Pike, King Gillette, Herbert Swope [coined "cold war"], Jeane Dixon, George Reeves, Jane Wyman, Sam Phillips [Sun Records], Walter Mondale, Alvin Ailey, Robert Duvall, Chuck Noll, Diane Keaton, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bradley Coper
  • Died: Felix Manz [drowned for re-baptizing adults, Anabaptist], Kathleen Kenyon, Ernest Shackleton, Calvin Coolidge, George Washington Carver, Rogers Hornsby, Pete Maravich, Sonny Bono
Thought: 
The first 9 verses of chapter 5 of Ecclesiastes offer some wonderful insights. 
  • 5::1-2--When you go to God's house, come first to listen rather than offering sacrifices. I need to hear this. When I approach God, I come to listen to Him. He shows me where my secret sins hide. In His light, my darkness is clear. If I come thinking I'll just offer a sacrifice, pay my tithe, and go, then I miss worship. Sometimes I find myself going to church--to make an appearance, to do my teaching, to sing hymns, to hear the sermon---but if I go and have not heard from God, I have not been to church. Notice, Solomon says, "let your words be few." Stop talking and listen. Sound familiar? Perhaps a spouse or a child or a friend have said this to you, or you  may have said it to one of them--"just listen." Have you noticed how difficult it is to sit still and be quiet. Satan does not want us to hear from God. Be still and know.
  • 5:3--Here is a truth for me--dreams come through much effort. Dream jobs, dream marriages, dream relationships require effort. Certainly God can give us unexpected, unearned, undeserved blessings, but most of the time dreams are made of hard work. Recently my granddaughter gave me her great plan for life--win the lottery, buy an island, live with no cares with her friends. Great plan! BUT not likely God's plan. God gives dreams and visions. To reach them requires work, sacrifice and obedience.
  • 5:4-5--Be careful what you promise God. Count the cost. Keep the vow and keep it now. All of us have said to God, "just help me get through or out of this and I will always ____________ or I'll never ________________." Be careful what you promise God. When I accepted Christ as Savior and Lord, I promised to follow Him and obey Him and serve Him and give Him glory. Be careful what you promise God. Then keep your promises--He always does. 
So for 2023--listen to God more than I talk to Him; have God given dreams, but be ready to work; keep your promises to God. It will be a blessed year. 

Blessings
Larry

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