GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Lord, You establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished You have done for us.

Isaiah 26:12

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we enter a new year, we often spend a little time looking back on the one past, particularly focusing on the things that have happened and what we have accomplished. During this reflection, it would be easy to adopt a self-centered, worldly approach that would place all our attention on things done by ourselves or others. It happens all the time. But as we will see in today’s single verse from Isaiah, Chapter 26, adopting a stance that directs recognition toward anything in the world misses the mark in regard to giving credit where it is truly due. Look again at this verse:

Lord, You establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished You have done for us. v. 12

The setting for these words is the end of days, the time when Jesus returns to judge the earth. We know that when that happens, heaven and earth as we know it is going to be no more, destroyed along with everyone who fails to place their faith and trust in Jesus as Savior, those who chose to place their faith, hope, and trust in themselves or anything else in the world except for Christ.

You see, no one can save themselves nor is there anything or anyone on this earth who can save us from death and bring the promise of eternal life with God, our Father and Creator. No one can do this but Jesus, who told us in Bible that no one can come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). So when it comes to the matter of life, life we have been blessed to live in the past year as well as life we are presently living in the new year, we need to give credit where credit is due and give all thanks and praise to the Lord who establishes peace for us and grants us the opportunity to live and love and learn each day through His grace and mercy. He brought us through 2014 and as we move through 2015, He and He alone will be moving with us from point to point, through good times and bad.

And as we look at what we have been able to do in the year past and what we have yet to do in the present year, we need to echo the words of those who will sing out in the last days of this earth and heaven that it is the Lord and the Lord alone who has been the source of our accomplishments. He has granted us the talents and gifts to achieve. He has granted us the opportunities to use those talents and gifts to get things done. And He has been the One who has ordained our successes and sometimes, our failures as well, always working things to our good.

Friends, the Lord has been with us and He is with us today. He will be with us through every tomorrow until that day when He calls the righteous to reside with Him and God, His Father and ours, in the New Jerusalem once He returns. Let us give Him all our praise, honor, and glory forever and ever, acknowledging Him as the One who makes all things possible and, in that process, giving credit where it is truly due.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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