Author: Dave Dishman (Page 139 of 458)

These few days between the old year and the new are a good time to think back and look forward.

If we let them, certain Bible verses can frame our outlook for the coming year. One I especially I like is this encouragement from Paul to a group of Jesus followers in Greece:

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

These are not just benevolent words, but a deep, powerful appeal from one believer for another.

Here at the turn of the year, as we leave behind the old and enter the new, let’s join with Paul and pray: Lord, encourage our hearts and strengthen us in every good deed and every good word as we step out to follow you in this next year of our lives.

Thessalonians 2 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Thomas Tucker

Noise and distraction—I actually like a good bit of both. But they keep me from connecting with the Lord. David wrote in one of his psalms:

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

To praise the Lord from the depth of my soul takes time and quiet. Not noise or distractions, but rather a few minutes of still.

Our souls lie covered, like a walnut under a forest floor blanketed with leaves. Only by brushing back the detritus do we find what we’re hoping for.

Souls open in quiet places. The rush of the holidays doesn’t reveal quiet moments, but then again, neither does the rest of my life. I can stay busy and distracted all year long. In fact, I’m quite good at it.

But such a life does not allow for a flourishing soul. A little bit of still goes a long way in connecting my inmost being with its Creator.

Psalm 103 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Roman Datsiuk

In the coming year, an estimated 134 million babies will be born around the world. That’s a lot of diapers! Or you might say, a lot of people will create more people this next year.

Long ago, a psalmist wrote of coming days, in hopes that those to follow will embrace the faith: Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.

These words were penned about 3,000 years ago. People have praised the Lord ever since, generation after generation, spreading around the world in growing numbers.

The psalmist reminded us of a few reasons why faith in God is so valuable: But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations…The nations will fear the name of the Lord, and the kings of the earth will revere your glory…He will respond to the prayers of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.

When we hold to these truths ourselves, and pass along all the teachings of Scripture to our children, we hands the joys of the Lord to the next generation. We do our part in a long, unbroken chain of faith.

May we persevere so that the next generation, and the ones to follow, enjoy the Lord and live to praise Him.

Psalm 102 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Kelly Sikkema

The night Jesus was born shepherds were at work, watching over their flocks, when the glory of the Lord shone around them. The King James Version says they were sore afraid. We might say scared out of their freakin’ minds.

But the angel calmed them: Fear not; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

Then the skies opened, and a huge host of angels appeared and praised God. For how long we don’t know, but eventually darkness returned. The shepherds wasted no time in hustling down the hill to Bethlehem, where they found Mary and Joseph and Jesus.

The shepherds praised the Lord, marveled at their good fortune and told everyone they could about Jesus and their heavenly visitors.

Why should we be envious of the shepherds? Because they saw Jesus first. Theirs were the first lives changed by Jesus stepping into this world.

Shepherds were ordinary guys, blue collar, not learned or wealthy. Plain folk in our eyes, yet God picked them to meet Jesus first. There are no plain folk in the eyes of the Lord. Which bodes well for you and me, especially when we feel unimportant or overlooked or lost in the grand scheme of the world around us.

Merry Christmas to you, and may the angelic blessing to the shepherds ring true for all of us this Christmas:

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Jaka Škrlep