Forgive, Forget and Move Forward

"Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne.  For auld lang syne, my Dear, for auld lang syne-We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne."

"The origin of Auld Lang Syne can be traced back to a poem written by Robert Burns in 1788.  It can be up to six verses long, with the chorus sung between each stanza, and although Burns recorded it, he noted that it was an ancient song that had been passed down through oral tradition.  The phrase, "Auld Lang Syne," roughly translates to "For Old Times' Sake," and the song reflects on preserving old friendships and memories." Britannica

The year 2025 is drawing to a close.  It's that time of year when we think back on what this year held; or perhaps on things lost.  We try to remember the good and forget the bad.

New goals are set.

Old grudges are set aside.

Instead of singing an old Scottish Poem, I choose to determine to achieve what the Apostle Paul wrote under the leadership of the Holy Spirit of God in Philippians 3:13-14.

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Letting go isn't always easy...

    Forgiving, forgetting and moving forward can be hard...

        But tomorrow is gone, and today is all we have...

            So, let's press forward for Christ...!

                But that's just me!

"Resolution One: I will live for God.

Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will." Jonathan Edwards

DNA

I'm fascinated with forensics. Every fiber, every hair, every fingerprint has an individual origin that can be traced back to one sole person.

That, in itself, destroys the Theory of Evolution.

I also have hypochondria tendencies.  I am very aware that every cough, every sneeze and every surface carries an individual germ that can be traced to a certain type of sickness.

Family's carry DNA traits such as blue, brown, hazel, or green eyes.  The color of our hair, the way we smile; even diseases are often carried down through our DNA.

Every DNA is different, except for one.

Human DNA =SIN

You and I and every single person ever born carry the same DNA.  Sin.

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" Romans 5:12

Every person that has ever been born carries Adam's sinful DNA.  Sin is our very nature.  Sin is in our blood.

If you've ever watched True Crime, criminals use all types of household cleaners to try to erase the evidence of any DNA left behind at the crime scene.  It never works.  Trace DNA cannot be hidden. The criminals are found, tried, and incarcerated.  They eventually pay for their crimes.

Even Adam and Eve tried to hide behind fig leaves to hide their sin against God.

It didn't work for them either.

Man's efforts to become clean cannot wash away our sin nature.  Good works will not remove our sin before a Holy God.  Only the precious blood of Christ can do that.

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteous nesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Isaiah 64:6

Just like one man's sin fell on all men, Salvation through the blood of Christ is available to all men who turn to Him.

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." Romans 5:17-18

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;" Romans 3:23-25

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;" Ephesians 1:7

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:" Colossians 1:14

"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,"

Revelation 1:5

No, we can't change our DNA by good works...

    But Jesus can, through His own blood...

        Won't you turn to Him today and be forgiven...?

            But that's just me!

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

"Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse us, yet if we withhold ourselves from that blood, we will be unclean forever." A.W. Tozer

He Came

 There are over 300 Messianic Prophecies in the Bible; It would be impossible to list them all.  According to information listed by Herbert Lockyer, there are prophecies of Christ's Ancestry, His birth, His Names, His character, His ministry, His dual nature, His death and resurrection, His Ascension, Exaltation and His Second Coming. 

That's a lot of prophecies.

And Jesus Christ has fulfilled all of them; except one.  

But it's only a matter of time.

Since it's Christmas Eve, we will look only at a few prophecies concerning Jesus' Birth.

-The seed resulting in Birth-

Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

-His Virgin Birth-

Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself shall give a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

Isaiah 9:6-7: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."

-The time of His birth-

Galatians 4:4-5 "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."

-The place-

Micah 5:2- "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

-The purpose-

1 John 3:5 "And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin."

1 Timothy 3:16 "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."

Can you imagine that night thousands of years ago, when the shepherd's dark quiet night, burst into a sky filled with light and a multitude of the heavenly host announcing the birth of the long-awaited Messiah? Christ is born! 

He came...

    Just like He said He would...

        And I believe He will come again...

            But that's just me!

"The birth of Jesus is the grandest light of history, the sun in the heavens of all time, it is the pole-star of human destiny, the hinge of chronology, the meeting-place of the waters of the past and the future."

Charles. H. Spurgeon

Walking the Extra Mile

Matthew 5:39-42 Words Spoken by Jesus.

"But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosover shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away."

Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

I've been thinking about these verses for a while now.  They seem to be going over and over in my mind. I think that our 'reasonable service' can turn mechanical and mediocre. So how can we overcome being mechanical and mediocre?  I believe it comes from Jesus' own words in Matthew 5.

Jesus is telling the believers to go above and beyond what is asked of them.

When Jesus speaks of a slap on your right cheek, it was culturally understood as a deep insult, not a physical attack. "Jesus is saying that the true Christian has learned to resent no insult and to seek retaliation for no slight." Barclay.

Jesus Himself lived this principle.

He is our example, and He will one day take care of all wrongs against us!

Under the Law of Moses, the outer cloak could not be taken away from someone, only their inner garment, but here, Jesus is telling His followers to give that person both garments.  It's like Jesus is telling them not to worry about what they are wearing, God will continue to provide their needs.  I like what Charles Spurgeon wrote: "Yet even in a country where justice can be had, we are not to resort to the law for every personal wrong. We should rather endure to be put upon than be forever crying out, "I'll bring action!" In other words, don't go to court with your brother-just settle it among yourselves and live humbly and peaceably with all men.

To go the extra mile, Guzik explains that under Roman military law, any Roman soldier could command a Jew to carry his soldiers' pack for one mile.  Jesus says, 'Go beyond the one mile required by law, and give another mile out of a free choice of love."

This is how we transform an attempt to manipulate us into a free act of love.

I love that!

Sometimes as Christians, we can be taken advantage of by other believers and nonbelievers.  Turn someone's selfishness and manipulations into an Act of Kindness on your part.  To interpret a saying by Morgan, I will write it this way: "In a world that insists on your own right, instead, suffer wrong and lavish love on the undeserving."

To give when someone asks something of you, I love what Guzik said as well, "The only limit to this kind of sacrifice is the limit that love itself will impose. It isn't loving to give in to someone's manipulation without our transforming it into a free act of love."

Can you imagine what would happen for the cause of Christ if we were to humbly accept being treated wrongly? Instead of having our cloak taken away from us, we freely gave it away?  Can you imagine turning our 'required rules or manipulations' of service into Acts of Kindness? To give away what we have before being asked to give it away?

I will tell you what would happen; the Lost would be saved and the Saved would be encouraged.

I believe that our Christian walk shouldn't just be about 'reasonable service...'

     but it should be about going above and beyond what we are called to do and be...

        But that's just me!

Romans 12:21 says, 'Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.'

Tooting Your Own Horn

 "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly." Word of Jesus, Matthew 6:1-4

Question: Do you want the applause of men, or rewards from our heavenly Father?

I want my reward from my Lord.

We all know at least one person in our lives who like to tell you everything they do for the Lord, for the church, for their neighbor.

I confess, I've been guilty of that as well. But if Jesus warns us not to be seen of men when we do good, why should we tell men when we do good?

When we want to be seen by men, our motives are wrong. Jesus tells us not to do good things just for show for the praise and applause of men.  When we do that, we rob ourselves of blessings from the very hands of God.

I had to laugh when I read, "do not sound a trumpet before thee.."  I think this is where we get the saying, 'Don't toot your own horn!' from.  LOL  

We are told not to proclaim our good deeds.  Just do good unto others for the sole purpose of doing good to others.

"Don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."  I like Guzik's comment concerning this statement.  He said, "If it were possible, even hide our good deeds from ourselves. Though we cannot be ignorant about our own giving, we can deny ourselves any indulgent self-congratulations."

Yes.  When we do good unto others, if not seen by men, it's easy to pat our own backs, but we shouldn't do that either.  Our good done for others is because we love our lord and want to be like Him by loving each other and being kind to each other and helping each other in time of need.

No Self-Kudos Allowed!

So, what's the motive behind our giving?

Jesus wanted His followers to realize that doing good deeds for other is for the glory of God...

    Not for our glory...

        But that's just me!

"Keep the thing so secret that even you yourself are hardly aware that you are doing anything at all praiseworthy. Let God be present, and you will have enough of an audience."

Charles Spurgeon

The Lord's Supper

 "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives." Matthew 26:26-30

The Lord's Supper.  It's found in Matthew, Mark 14:22-26, and Luke 22:17-20.

We are having the Lord's Supper Service at our church tonight.  In order to prepare my heart for this special Service, I often read the different accounts in the Gospels.  This morning, I could picture the Upper Room in which they met and the men who were seated there.  These men were from all different walks of life, all different levels of maturity in their Christian growth, and most of all, they were all imperfect; and yet Jesus invited them to His table.

What a thought!

The Passover Feast these men were partaking in, took on a whole new meaning this night.  Jesus was using the elements as visible reminders of an event about to take place.  The bread and wine represented His body and blood about to be shed for the remission of sins.  A New Covenant would replace the old Mosaic Covenant. What a Saviour!

Then a promise was made.  Jesus told the disciples that He would not eat this meal again with them until they drink it new in His Father's Kingdom.

In 1 Corinthians 11:20-31 the Apostle Paul reminds the church at Corinth to examine their hearts before participating in the Lord's Supper.  The elements are not eaten as a meal, they represent the broken body of our Lord, and the blood He shed for the remission of our sins.  When approaching the Lord's table, sins must be confessed, and relationships must be restored.  

This is serious business, and not to be taken lightly.

The Lord's Supper is a time of reflection.  To remember the death of our Lord.  

It's also a reminder of forgiveness made possible through Christ!

It also holds anticipation for the day when we can all gather around the Lord's table and partake of His Supper together!

"Thank you, Lord, for dying on the cross for me.  For taking my place, and for paying a price I could not pay. Thank you for shedding your precious blood to make atonement for me.  May I never take your sacrifice for granted.  May I never approach your table flippantly.  You are worthy to be praised!  In Jesus Name, Amen."

We cannot approach God's table in and of ourselves...

    It's all because of Jesus...

        Praise God for the Redemptive Blood of the Lamb...

           But that's just me!

Vanity of Vanities

"Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity." 

Ecclesiastes 1:2

I went and had my hair colored yesterday.  I decided to go back to my 'pre-Covid' days and wash that gray right out of my hair! Since I had posted about a really bad haircut a while back, I decided to post about a really great color! 

I had been referred to a new stylist and decided to take my chances.  With a picture from my past and a prayer heaven bound I took the plunge.

I was glad I did.

Now, I can conjure up great reasons for getting my hair colored; about how our bodies are the Temple of God, and how we ought to represent our Lord by looking nice, but when I walked out of the salon yesterday and got into my car to drive home, I whispered, 'Oh vanity of vanities!'

There is nothing of eternal value by getting my hair colored yesterday...

    but there is eternal value in answered prayer...

        Thank you, Lord...

            But that's just me!

        

A Child of the King

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:" Romans 8:14-16

Every morning before my bible reading and prayer time, I sing a hymn.  This morning's hymn was, A Child of the King.  As I sang each word, verse by verse and then the chorus, my heart grew.  By the time I sang the last word, my heart was full and overflowing with gratefulness.

I'm a Child of The King!

Sometimes in the mess of everyday life, I forget that I'm a child of The King.  My bank account is low, I feel like I don't belong anywhere; my four walls of my tiny house seem to be closing in.  And then through the words of a simple hymn, God reminds me of Who I am because of Who He is!  I'm a child of The King!

My bank account may be low, but my Father's coffers are full and His riches are untold!

I may feel like a stranger, an outcast and like I don't belong, but I've been adopted and I'm accepted in the beloved! "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."

Ephesians 1:6

My house may be small, but it's warm and contains all I need for my family and friends to gather for food and fellowship while I wait for my mansion on high that my Father is preparing for me!

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And wither I go ye know, and the way ye know." Words of Jesus, John 14:1-4

That you God for reminding me today, that I belong to you, and I am your child.

    All Glory to God...

        I'm a child of The King....!

            But that's just me!

"Child of God, you cost Christ too much for Him to forget you." Charles Spurgeon

X-MAS

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:11

It's begun.  The battle of Salutations.  "Merry Christmas!" or "Happy Holidays!" 

But there is another battle that wages during this time of year:  "Christmas!" or "X-MAS!"

At least I assumed it was another battle.  I become irritated every time I see 'X-MAS' instead of 'Christmas.'  Do you?  Every time I see it, I think, 'The world is erasing Christ from Christmas!'  But are they?

It was time to finally research this out.

I was surprised by what I found.

According to Dictionary.com "the abbreviation predates, by centuries, the gaudy advertisements. It was first used in the mid-1500's. X represents the Greek letter Chi, the initial letter in the word, Xpiotos.

(Christos) Xpiotos means 'Jesus Christ.' 'X' has been an acceptable representation of the word of Christ for hundreds of years. Other abbreviations for Christ include Xt and Xp, the P here representing the Greek letter rho, the source of our letter R.  A stylized version of the Greek chi (X) and the rho (P) is a symbol of Christ called a Christogram.  Just as the dignified terms Xpian and Xtian have been used in place of the word Christian."

That explains the X.  Now the MAS-

Dictionary.com continues, " The -mas in Xmas comes from the Old English word for mass, as in a church service, especially the Roman Catholic Church."

And there you have it, a little history lesson for today.

I confess, even though I now know the definition behind the abbreviation, I will still choose 'CHRISTMAS!' 

Not everyone will research the meaning behind the things they see, and I don't want any confusion when it comes to my faith in Christ and why I celebrate Christmas each year.

For me, I choose, 'Merry Christmas! '..

    No abbreviations, no shortcuts...

        Just Christ...

            But that's just me!

" A little child, a shining star, A stable rude, a door ajar.

Yet in that place, so crude, forlorn, the Hope of all the world was born!" Anonymous

    

The Wonders of God

"And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you." Joshua 3:5

An interesting thing was about to happen to the children of Israel.  A miracle was about to occur; but before the miracle, the people were required to do something.

They were to sanctify themselves.

"Because this would be a spiritual battle, Joshua required Israel to make spiritual preparations.  Sanctify yourselves means they were to separate themselves from common things to focus on the LORD, and to see that the LORD would do wonders among them." Guzik

Just as God had allowed the children of Israel to walk on dry land through the Red Sea as Moses held up his rod, God was going to allow the children of Israel to walk on dry land through the Jordan River as soon as the soles of the priests' feet rested in the waters.

Sanctification =The Wonders of God.

I think we miss a lot of the wonders of God because we are not looking in the right direction, (Joshua 3:3) when we have unconfessed sin in our lives or when we have worldly dust clinging to our clothing. 

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless, and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. James 1:27"

Charles Spurgeon once said, "I would like to see Christians, not kept in a glass case away from trial and temptation, but yet covered with an invisible shield, so that, wherever he went, he would be guarded and protected from the evil influences that are in the world in almost every place."

If I want to see the wonders of God in my life...

    I must separate myself from the world and worldly things...

        And it will be worth it...

            But that's just me!

"The glory of God always comes at the sacrifice of self."

A.W. Tozer

        

Do I Glow?

"But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him." Exodus 34:34-35

"The face of Moses shone because he had long looked upon the face of God." Spurgeon

I love this account!  The first thing I thought of when I read these two verses today was that Moses removed his vail when he spoke with God.  I'm reminded of the Hymn, 'Nothing Between my soul and My Saviour!'

God sees us for who we are. Nothing is hidden from Him.  Moses had a personal, intimate relationship with God, and Moses removed all barriers.

When I commune with God, I don't want anything between Him and me either.  Have I confessed my sin? Am I trying to hide myself from him?

After Moses communed with God, his face radiated with the glory of God!

There is something about being in the presence of God Almighty that will change you!

Do people know when I've spent time with my Lord?

After reading this account I immediately thought of the birth announcement of Jesus!

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men." Luke 2:8-14

Did you see it?  When the angel of the Lord proclaimed his message, 'the glory of the Lord shone round about them." And if the glorious light of God's glory shone because of one angel's presence, can you imagine the light surrounding the multitude of the heavenly host as they praised God?!

When you are in the presence of God, you will reflect His glory!

When you have spent time with the Lord in prayer and bible reading, you will reflect His glory!  You will GLOW!

And what about the transfiguration in Luke 9:29 -31?

"And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.

And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem."

I bet that was a sight to behold!

Is my light still shining...

    or do I need to replace my light bulb with extra prayer and bible reading?

        But that's just me!

A Lighter Load

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Words of Jesus, Matthew 11:28-30

I spent most of my day yesterday sorting through boxes and totes that have taken up residence on the basement shelves for years.  It was time to see what was actually stuffed into those boxes and decide whether or not to keep an item, donate an item or put it in the trash.  By the end of the day, I had purged a lot of unnecessary items. My little house seemed lighter when I finished.

My soul feels lighter when I give my unnecessary burdens over to the Lord as well.

Funny how the cares of the world and the demands of others weigh us down.  But it turns tragic when we try to carry the weight by ourselves. But then the Lord comes along and whispers to our hearts and says, "Let me carry that, I've got this!"

Psalm 68:19 reminded me today, that there are two different kinds of loads:

1- Burdens, and

2-Benefits.

"Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah."

Jesus bears our burdens and blesses us with benefits! 

When I give the Lord what I was never meant to carry, my day has a new outlook.  Unnecessary burdens shift shoulders.  

An unnecessary weight is lifted.

Today I choose to give Him my burden...

    And I choose to accept His benefits..

        He carries, I rest...

            But that's just me!