Thought for January 8, 2024

  •  1790: Washington delivers the first State of the Union address
  • 1815: Battle of New Orleans--but the War of 1812 had ended on December 24--
  • 1835: U.S. national debt is zero for the only time in history
  • 1902: NY passes a law criminalizing "men turning around and looking at a woman in that way."
  • 1945: Youth for Christ organizes--grateful for John and Laura Foreman's service to this organization
  • 1962: Jack Nicklaus appears in first tournament as a professional
  • 1964: LBJ declares war on poverty
  • 1982: Johnny Cash Parkway opens in Hendersonville
  • 2000: Music City Miracle
  • 2002: George W Bush signs No Child Left Behind law
  • Born: Soupy Sales, Sander Vanocur, Charles Osgood, Elvis Presley, Bob Eubanks, Cristy Lane, Stephen Hawking, David Bowie, 
  • Died: Marco Polo, Galileo, Eli Whitney, Robert Baden-Powell [Boy Scouts], Jim Eliot [with 4 other missionaries in Ecuador], Dave Thomas, Andrae Crouch, Edd Byrnes [77 Sunset Strip]
Thought:
Are you ever anxious because you worry about what might happen? The doctor may give me bad news. The car may break down at just the wrong time and in the worst possible place. I won't be able to afford to live comfortably for the rest of my life. The stock market or my retirement account may lose everything. I will become dependent on others to help me sith my daily needs. My children will not have the economic success I had. My grandchildren will get involved with the wrong people, develop bad habits, fall away from the Lord and the church. Our country will collapse--economically, politically, morally, Bad leaders will be elected. As we begin a new year, what make you fret? 

Thinking about this took me to re-examine the miracles of Jesus. Jesus faced situations and circumstances that the people thought were impossible, unsolvable, beyond help--yet, nothing was impossible with God. Looking at these miracles calms my spirit, eases my anxiety, increases my hope---will I face anything this year that Jesus has not already defeated, that Jesus cannot handle, that Jesus cannot turn into a chance for Him to demonstrate His grace, mercy, power, love. So for a few days [I'm not sure how many], I plan to go back and read how Jesus dealt with the impossible. So when 2024 presents the impossible, the problem beyond my wisdom and strength, I'll be reminded that with Him all things are possible. 

Jesus first miracle [after His immaculate conception and perfect childhood] was the turning of water into wine described in John 2:1-11. Strange that this would be His first miracle--not healing, not casting out demons, not feeding 4000 or 5000, not raising the dead---water to wine. Jesus was at a wedding in Cana about 4 miles from Nazareth. Everybody was having a good time and all the wine was gone before the party was over. Mary comes to Jesus. Take a look at this conversation:
  • They have no wine. Mary does not ask Jesus to do anything. She does not explain why this situation arose. She does not blame anyone for this embarrassing circumstance. She takes the problem to Jesus. I need to learn this--Jesus already knows everything. He knew that they were not getting enough wine for the party before the party started. He knew who failed or underestimated. He knew who drunk too much. I find myself trying to inform Jesus about how my circumstance or situation arose---He already knows. The old song says, "take your burden to the Lord and leave it there." Mary was concerned so she told Jesus the wine is gone.
  • Mary had faith--she does not respond when Jesus says His time has not come, she tells the servants to obey Him. Here I need to learn that I don't need to understand how Jesus will solve the problem, I just need to obey Him and trust Him. 
  • Jesus always exceeds our expectations. The servants fill 6 large water pots [over 100 gallons]. Notice--There is no ceremony, no words spoken by Jesus, no touching of the jars. Water went in--wine comes out. Here I learn that Jesus transforms--He transforms me. He pours Himself into me and then expects new wine to flow out of me to bless others. And what about the wine? This is not just any wine---this is the best wine. Jesus produces the best in abundance. Exceedingly, abundantly more than we can ask or even think. 
  • When we see transformation of lives He is glorified [2:11] and we believe. When others see transformation in us--He is glorified and people believe. 
This year simply take the problem to Jesus and trust and obey Him. He will bless beyond measure.

Blessings
Larry

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thought for July 19

History: 1553: Lady Jane Gray deposed after 9 days 1692: 5 people hung during Salem Witch Trials 1848: First women's rights convention -Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Wesleyan Chapel at Seneca Falls NY 1910: Cy Young wins his 500th game 1941: US Army flying school at Tuskegee AL dedicated 1945: USS Cod saves 51 sailors from Dutch sub--only sub-to-sub rescue 1957: Firing of first rocket with nuclear warhead-Nevada 1984: Geraldine Ferraro is first major party female VP candidate 1996: Olympics open in Atlanta 2007: Madmen debuts 2018: Duck Boat sinks in Table Rock Lake killing 17 Born: Samuel Colt, Edgar Degas [painter], Lizzie Borden, Charles Mayo [Mayo Clinic], George McGovern, Al Haig, George Hamilton IV, Vikki Carr, Ilie Nastase, Stuart Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch,  Died: Syngman Rhee [President South Korea], Clyde Beatty [circus animal trainer], Mary Jo Kopechne [passenger with Ted Kennedy], Jack Warden, Frank McCourt [Angela's Ashes], James Garner, Garry Marshall
Read more

Thought for November 23, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving!  1664: Blaise Pascal is converted following a vision. He wrote the date and time of his conversion and said, "Fire. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. Not of philosophers and intellectuals. Certitude, certitude, joy, peace. The God of Jesus Christ." Laid the foundation for the law of probabilities; genius in hydrodynamics and hydrostatics developing Pascal's principle of pressure; taught the experience of God through the heart rather than reason; mathematician and philosopher. 1783: Annapolis Maryland becomes U.S. Capitol until June 1784 1863: Patent for making color photographs granted 1889: First jukebox debuts in Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco 1897: Pencil sharpener patented 1904: Summer Olympics in St. Louis close [1st Olymics in U.S.] 1921: President Harding signs an Act prohibiting doctors from prescribing beer or liquor for medicinal purposes 1923: Cecil B. DeMille's first "The Ten Commandments" premiers
Read more

Thought for April 5, 2024

1722: Easter Island discovered 1792: First Presidential veto 1815: Mt. Tambora erupts. Largest eruption ever witnessed. Created year without summer in 1816--frost and snow in North America in June and July. Largest part of eruption on April 10th. Killed 10,000 in initial blast.  1906: Mt. Vesuvius erupts killing 100 1923: Firestone begins producing inflatable tires 1936: Tupelo almost completely destroyed by a tornado--216 die 1972: Baseball strike costs 86 games 2063: On "Star Trek", earth has its first contact with the Vulcan species Born: Thomas Hobbes, Joseph Lister, Booker T Washington, Spencer Tracy, Bette Davis, Gregory Peck, Arthur Hailey. Gale Storm, Frank Gorshin, Colin Powell, Pharrell Williams Died: Robert Raikes [Sunday School], Douglas MacArthur, Howard Hughes, Abe Fortas, Sam Walton, Allen Ginsberg, Saul Bellow, Charlton Heston, Honor Blackman Thought: Reading Daniel 1:5-7 this morning. Continuing with the thoughts about Nebuchadnezzar's plan. Having brough
Read more