January Devotional

From the Pastor's Desk, Hell-o, and a Happy New Year to each and everyone. I hope all had a very Merry Christmas, and got to spend time with family, friends, and loved ones. As we stand prepared to start out a new year, some of us wonder just what lays in store. I'm sure most will have to agree that 2022 was at times quite a challenge. What with record high costs of just about everything we have to purchase, it was hard to stretch our means to meet our needs. And covid, we'll never forget that many, me included, lost family members and friends. With what is going on between Russia and Ukraine, troubles still in the mid-east, China and North Korea rattling their sabres, it's no wonder we look hopefully, but cautiously, to a new year, and a new beginning. In this world, this crazy messed-up, confused world of daily uncertainty. It may seem like everywhere we turn we face more of the same. Just when we may think it can't possibly get any worse, a new day appears. But don't give up. We have a hope, an unshakeable hope, a hope for a bright future, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm reminded of what was told to the prophet Jeremiah in the 29th verse: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." The prophet Jeremiah was writing to the leaders, elders, and the remaining people of Jerusalem that king Nebuchadnezzar held as slaves. To not give up hope, to hang in there, God, has a plan for them. The people of Jerusalem were going through a very hard time, and I'm sure many have given up all hope. But God was reassuring them that He had not forgotten them. That He still has a plan for them, but like all things of God, it's in His time. My prayer for each of you is for a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year. A year filled with the Lord's blessings to you and your family's. A new year of hope. May the Good Lord bless and keep you all safe in the coming future. God Bless. Pastor,

Dan