THE NEW EWE

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'"

Luke 15:4-6

January 6, 2021

LIFE IN THE FOLD:

I recently read a post on social media where someone ask for people to write a positive word, beginning with the first letter of their name, that they could carry for 2021.

The first word that came to mind was "love". I had a difficult time thinking of other words beginning with the letter L, and had to think about it for a while and even looked for suggestions online. But the more I began to think about it, the more words and scriptures I began to come up with.

Here is my list, that hopefully you will find encouraging and will apply them to yourself. But after reading what I've written, I suggest that you sit down and begin to think of words that begin with the first letter of your name and make your own list. Find scriptures that go with each word and list those, too. Keep your list in your Bible or on your fridge, so that you can look at it throughout the year to give you encouragement and hope.

LOVE: Know that Jesus truly loves you! He sees you, just as you are, and thinks that you are precious and amazing. He doesn't look at you and see all your faults; picking you apart and seeing them as being flaws and reasons for not loving you as much. But He loves unconditionally.

Also, we need to love others in a greater way. Not just when they are nice to us or deserve it, but love people as the Father loves us; unconditionally and whether or not they reciprocate and love us back in return. It's easy to love someone when they are good to us, sweet, and easy to love. It's much harder when they are bitter, angry, have sinful habits, making ungodly choices, critical.... or just plain old not very pleasant and rub us the wrong way! Read 1 Corinthians chapter 13 to remind yourself what true, godly love truly is; then strive to live out that kind of love.

Love is important to God. When Jesus was asked what commandment is the greatest in the Law, He replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37-39) Love is not just merely a suggestion, but is a commandment.

LOYAL: This word means giving or showing firm and constant support to a person. Other words that could be interchangeable with loyalty are: faithful, true, devoted, constant, steadfast, dependable, trustworthy.

Faithfulness is one of the fruits of the Spirit, found in Galatians 5:22. I believe that is not only faithfulness and loyalty to God, but also to family and friends. Let's strive to be consistently loyal! Let's be the one that the Father, as well as those around us, find as being dependable and trustworthy.

LAVISH: 1 John 3:1 (NIV) says, "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God." I love this! God doesn't just love us a little bit or love us because He has to or it's required of Him to do so. But He lavishes His love upon us; meaning that His love for us is very generous and extravagant. Let's consciously lavish love upon others in 2021, loving them generously and extravagantly!

LAUGHTER: It seems as if many haven't found much to laugh about in the past several months. It's been a difficult time with COVID, politics, and the news media. Sometimes life can be very difficult, and during those times when we focus on the world around us and everything that is happening, we can become disheartened and discouraged. We may even find ourselves losing hope. But God has given us the gift of laughter and joy, and has done so for a reason.

Proverbs 17:22 tells us, "A cheerful (merry, joyful) heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength (a crushed spirit dries up the bones)."

Ecclesiastes 3:4 says that there is "a time to weep and a time to laugh." There are times when we experience grief, but this was never intended to be a lifestyle. In fact, Psalm 30:5 says that "weeping may endure for the night (for a period of time), but joy comes with the morning."

Remember to find joy in life and to laugh! Laughter and joy can be very healing.

LEAN: Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Don't try to lean on your own strength or goodness or understanding, but trust in God and lean upon Him. When we do so, and "submit to Him, He will make our paths straight." (verse 6)

If you are feeling off-kilter and as if the path of life that you are traveling is too steep or crooking, stop and ask yourself who you are leaning upon. Are you leaning to your own devices and understanding, trying to figure things out by yourself? If so, let go of your own way of thinking and submit yourself to God. Lean upon Him, trust Him, and allow Him to direct your steps and straighten your path.

LEARN: "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15) The only way we can truly fulfill this scripture is by studying the Word of God and knowing what truth is. We are giving divine directions on how to keep ourselves protected from the world and how to keep our hearts set on things above.

This year I encourage you to be more diligent about reading and studying the Bible, asking God to reveal Himself to you in a new and fresh way. You can read the scriptures over and over again, and find something new each time you read them. Don't ever become satisfied with where you are spiritually, but have a continuous desire to know Jesus better and to learn more and more about Him. Grow and mature spiritually and have a deeper, more meaningful relationship with Him. No matter how many years you've been a believer, you will never know all there is to know about Jesus. There's always more to learn and He is anxious to reveal Himself to you in a greater way.

LIONHEARTED: Be brave and determined! Don't allow the news media, COVID, government and presidential issues to cause you to become overtaken by fear. Regardless of what happens in the world, or even to someone you know and love, don't give up and feel defeated, losing hope. Don't take your eyes off of God and allow Him to become smaller and more insignificant than everything that is taking place.

There is an old song we used to sing that says, "I have decided to follow Jesus... no turning back... no turning back." Another verse says, "Though none go with me, still I will follow... no turning back... no turning back." The last verse says, "The world behind me, the cross before me.... no turning back... no turning back."

Always keep your eyes fully focused on Jesus, being brave and determined to run your race and follow Him until you reach heaven! Be lionhearted!!

Regardless of what 2021 may look like, regardless of any surprises it may hold, regardless of how things may look, be determined to keep your focus on God at all times. Choose to love like Jesus; be loyal; allow the Father to lavish His love upon you, and in turn, you lavish love and kindness upon others; laugh and be joy-filled; lean upon God and not upon your own understanding; learn to know Jesus more and more and in a deeper way each day; and be lionhearted!

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

There are a few negative J words, but I'll try to focus on a few positive ones.

Jocular or Jovial: As with everything, there is a time for merriment. I occasionally look to a joke at the wrong time. But it is often good to see the humor in a situation. When Loretta fell in a pothole on one of our first few dates, it took a few hours for her to see the humor in it, but she eventually did. Luckily, I didn't point out the humor too soon, that time.

Joyful: I have a little difficulty sometimes, but I do try to find joy in every situation. Joy and peace tend to go together. If you can find joy, you can also feel peace. Both are important.

Just: Of course, I'm always just. But then, doesn't everyone feel just? I will have to rely on others to help me discern when I am being just or not. Fortunately, I'm not in a position that my sense of justice counts for anything. I would hate having to be a judge, or in a position like that.

ON THE MENEWE:

Country Chicken and Gravy

Combine soup and water/broth in a 9x13 baking dish.

Place Shake & Bake and cheese in a large Ziplock bag.

Cut chicken into smaller chunks and toss in mixture, shaking to coat.

Lay coated chicken in soup mixture in single layer.

Bake at 400 for 40 minutes or until tender.

The soup will make a delicious gravy for mashed potatoes or just for the chicken.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

When my niece, Janee', was a little girl she was quite "spiritual" at times! One time at school she made a sign to put on her desk that said, "Quiet please -- I'm praying." Another time the kids were lining up to go to lunch and she quoted the scripture, "The first shall be last and the last shall be first." They let her in front of the lunch line! Yet another time, she was in a fabric store with her mom. There was a kiddie corner in the store and my sister overheard Janee' asking another little girl questions such as, "Do you go to church?" "Do you love Jesus?" On the way home she asked her mom, "Did you hear me witnessing today?" My sister replied, "Yes. I'm very proud of you." Janee' asked, "So, how much are you going to pay me?" Janie had to explain that you don't get paid for witnessing, you do it because you love Jesus.

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

While we don't know what the future holds, we do know WHO holds the future. - Christine Caine

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org