Tag: faith

Take Home Test ~ WBC

Some of you will recognize Bill’s test duplicated here. It’s minus the dingbats he used. ~AC

  • Have you made a personal decision about Jesus Christ?
  • When, to your satisfaction, did you do so?
  • Has that made a definite change in your life?
  • “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away…the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:27).
  • What do you believe?  ~ The Apostle’s Creed
  • Rational and personal conviction
  • “The love of Christ controls us because we are convinced that one has died for all….” (2 Cor. 5:14).
  • Do you have faith in God? [Consider the meaning of faith]
  • Certainty, firm reliance  ~ Confidence, Trust
  • Trust in God that holds steady in times of difficulty
  • Faith that God is at work in all things for good
  • What do you think your commitment to Christ means?
  • What does your head and your heart  say to you?
  • Does the Holy Spirit bear witness with your spirit?
  • What are your strongest spiritual desires?
  • To be with Him – public and private worship
  • To know Him – even the fellowship of His suffering
  • To please Him – greatest pleasure
  • “I want to know Christ – yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Phil. 3:10, NIV).
  • What is your participation in the Body of Christ?
  • What is your contribution to the church?
  • What if everyone did as you do?
  • What is your level of concern for others?
  • How have you expressed that concern recently?
  • What about the acid test? ~ Thy will be done…?
  • Is your chief aim in life to do God’s will?
  • Do you regularly choose God’s will over your own?

One Great Purpose

While Mary and Joseph were still finalizing their guest list and picking out a wedding cake, she startled him with some unexpected news—she, a virgin, was pregnant. 

Assuming she’d been unfaithful, Joseph was poised to cancel the engagement. But while he was still considering his exit strategy, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream—telling him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, for the child inside her was from the Holy Spirit.

“And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1:21‬ ‭NLT‬‬).

This miracle was the fulfillment of hundreds of prophecies—God-inspired predictions about the Messiah, Savior, or “Chosen/Anointed One”—recorded in the Old Testament.

From conception, Jesus’ purpose was made known: to save His people from their sins. Because even before God created the world, His plan was to save it.

Isn’t it interesting that you didn’t choose the time, place, body, or family in which you were born? But God has you here, right now, on purpose. 

You’ve been grafted into an ongoing story playing out since the beginning of time. And this timeless offer, to be saved from the shackles of your sin and freed from a debt you could never pay, has been extended to you.

What is sin? Sin is choosing our way instead of God’s. Sin is rebelling against His design and His plan. And we’ve all done it—we’ve all fallen short of God’s righteous standard.

But that’s why He sent Jesus—because He loved us that much.

And then, Jesus gave His life for the sake of the world.

If you’ve never accepted the free gift of salvation, today can be your day, and this moment can be your moment. There’s nothing you can do to earn it, but you can come to Him—just as you are. 

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It Will Be Different

Becky’s homemade stockings are hung again for 2024. Photo taken in 2017.

Christmas will be different this year, and it’s not only because Bill has gone Home. Last Christmas I noticed Bill watched others open gifts instead of attending to his own. After Becky’s special dinner, Bill tried out all her sweet selections. Later we sat and gazed at the decorated tree. This year Grandpa’s stocking will not be hung with the others. That’s as it should be.

Gearhart family plans are different. Chrissa, Leo, and Joana will leave for Brazil, South America, on Christmas Eve to visit Leo’s mother and family. Michael and Morgan continue to live in California, and it’s a long trip for a short visit. Stephen and Emily will join us for the day. Added is another change. Paul’s mother, Ruth, in Illinois, now lives with her daughter. While Bev and her husband visited family in California, Becky spent a month with Ruth. That meant Becky was not here for early Christmas decorating. Paul’s main job is outdoor decorations and they are special. He put up our tree with lights, but we’re saving the ornaments for Becky so she can connect with memories. I set out their nativity display along with arranging manger scenes in my living room.

The rest of my family will celebrate in their own settings, scattered in other states. My family also has its changes. My two sisters and I are now widows, and we enjoyed a September visit together in Mobile, Alabama, my birthplace. We shared past memories and made new ones. My children and grandkids live in OH, PA, MO, TN, IN, KY, CA, MD (now in Japan). I send Christmas cards to family in eight different states. I love sending and receiving Christmas cards and letters. It’s a great way to connect with friends we’ve made over the years.

While family plans are different this year, the “reason for the season” remains clear. The story of Jesus’ birth is never worn out. I learned recently that the manger in Bethlehem was made of stone rather than the wood we see in Nativity sets. Shepherds kept their lambs in mangers, safely wrapped and ready for sacrifice. Mary wrapped her son Jesus, our sacrificial Lamb, and laid Him in a manger. In this I rejoice, for Christ has made the difference in my life. I trust it’s true for you.