Happy New Year - I thought I would start you off with a fabulous video of some of
our Swazi children singing this morning!
I love the first week of January. We typically get to spend it with Spencer and Chloe, and in recent years, on a beach in Durban, South Africa overlooking the Indian Ocean. We enjoy much needed family time (often only being together once a year), “down time” from work and time to think about, and pray about the New Year.
Then, the weekend before we go back to work (this weekend),
Ian and I sit at with our laptops making plans for the New Year while we pray
for God’s wisdom for each and every decision we make.
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But here’s the thing that we have learned about our plans. We can make well thought out plans, we
can write good strategies and come up with the clear tactics to achieve our
goals but we must also be aware that God’s plans are not our plans, and we must
be ready to be flexible and submit.
That requires quiet time, listening time, prayer time and being intentional to not only listen, but also to obey.
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| A good example of a bad plan. |
For those of you who are followers of Jesus, are you willing
to give this a try in 2018? If you
do this, I promise it will change your whole life. But beware! People will think you are crazy because you are
not spending money where you used to spend it. You are not hanging out with the
same friends you always hung out with. You are not listening to the same music,
or watching the same shows or on the same websites that you once were. But that is okay.
Isn’t it time for change? Isn’t it time for better plans? Isn’t it time for a new life?
Oswald Chambers wrote, “…choose
for yourselves this day whom you will serve….” Your choice must be a deliberate
determination— it is not something into which you will automatically drift. And
everything else in your life will be held in temporary suspension until you
make a decision. The proposal is between you and God— do not “confer with flesh
and blood” about it (Galatians
1:16). (For the complete article go to https://utmost.org/will-to-be-faithful)
Are you ready for a New
Year? I am.
Live from Swaziland … Happy New Year!
Janine
Janine, such a wonderful start to my day!!! Love seeing and hearing about your precious children. Thank you for showing me what faith in God and his love can do!! Will be praying for you both as you continue to give hope, life and love to these beautiful little children and to the people who work with them - Happy New Year Janine and Ian!!
ReplyDeleteJanine, such a wonderful start to my day!!! Love seeing and hearing about your precious children. Thank you for showing me what faith in God and his love can do!! Will be praying for you both as you continue to give hope, life and love to these beautiful little children and to the people who work with them - Happy New Year Janine and Ian!!
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