Mike’s Musings ….
To the Brethren …
With the vast number of recipients of this publication, there seems no easier way to convey to each of you our sincere appreciation for another year of fellowship in the Lord’s work. You have used countless ways of encouraging us as we continue our labors in the Lord and each expression is one of love. We thank you all so very much!
It is “customary” to wish our brethren the happiest of the season’s greetings this time of year and to express our hopes for a prosperous and healthy new year. Certainly, that is our prayer, but much more to the point, we pray the new year will be one filled with greater SPIRITUAL prosperity and health than we have experienced heretofore. 2024 was filled with numerical blessings regarding the growth of our local work, and we believe as well, spiritual growth was gained. While it is never about “how many and how much” of a numerical sort that determines the strength of the Lord’s church, those numbers are an indication of the potential of spiritual activity from us. We have done well, and we pray we can become even stronger in this work for our Master!
Nancy and I consider each of you our “family.” In this family, we have parents again (the elderly ones who are so loving in their advice to us), siblings (those near our age, who share our emotional highs and lows of life), children (those we are endeavoring to help guide in the way they should go), and grandchildren (those so tender in years, we can’t help but love them for who and what they are!) The blood that ties us together is not that of the flesh but is of much greater value – it is the blood of Christ Jesus! Like families of the flesh, we might not always agree. But UNlike many families of the flesh, we can and do come together to reason about these matters, and come to a RIGHTEOUS agreement! Why? Because we LOVE each other!
No one can accurately predict the future. We live it one moment at a time! We must walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), and not succumb to the “what ifs” of life. With God’s word, we can walk with confidence (Hebrews 13:5 – 6) and do so without fear of man’s opposition to our righteousness (ibid.) Therefore, we must commit ourselves to Him that judges righteously, just as Jesus our Savior did (1 Peter 2:23). If we each do that, then regardless of what any tomorrow might bring, we will be JUST FINE!
So, with love in our hearts that is exceeded only by our love for God and His promises, we wish you all God’s best both now and always!
Mike and Nancy