DECEMBER 31, 2022

  “For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.” 

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

MALACHI

16Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.

17“On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. 18And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.(3:16-18)

REVELATION 22

6The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”

7“Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”

8I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. 9But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”

JOURNAL 

We are to worship God and live in faith and hope. By doing so we will live in love. Love is the defining characteristic of God. It is what gives hope, it is why we follow. 

Looking up the origin of a year ending and a new beginning it is pretty fascinating how it all came together. There were different versions but ultimately the Julian Calendar introduced by Julius Caesar became the standard which then led to the Georgian calendar that is now accepted around the world. Reality is that it is just another day but it is a way to mark time and to reflect on the full revolution of the earth around the sun.  

As I say goodbye to another year, it is scripture that ultimately confirms my purpose and the purpose of life. Every life matters, there is not one that God doesn't treasure...it is why Jesus tells the story of the prodigal and of the lost sheep. We are all to remember that as we walk through each day, that each life on this earth is here for a purpose. Ultimately that purpose is in loving each other thereby honoring God our creator. In our obedience to him we have hope and faith and joy and love. For love is the prime defining characteristic of God. It is what we seek and desire most in this world, and it's power is what makes this life worth living.

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

1 John 4:16