12th Day of Christmas
SEASON YOUR GOAL-SETTING
JANUARY 5, 2025
The Twenty-seventh Sunday in Jubilee
“Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls – yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.” Habakkuk 3:17-19
One thing that we know about the “new year” is that there are going to be experiences that we have never had before. Some will be difficult, and some will be easy. Some surprising, and some common. The question is whether or not your faith will sustain you in all experiences and situations of life. Mr. Tozer wrote in This World: Playground or Battleground, “Every new year is an uncharted and unknown sea. No ship has ever sailed this way before. The wisest of earth’s sons and daughters cannot tell us what we may encounter on this journey.” Mr. Tozer went on to write, “…In the Bible, and there only, is found the chart to tell us where we are going on the rough and unknown ocean.” The Bible is our only true and reliable guide for each of us!
Dr. Dennis Kinlaw wrote about missionary C. T. Studd on the last day of his devotional This Day With The Master. When Studd was serving in a very remote interior land in Africa, they received mail only once every two weeks. They were totally dependent on that mail to bring them the needed funds to trade for supplies. Every time mail arrived, Mr. Studd would open it and publicly announce what was received.
“One time there was a pleasing amount of money in the mail. Studd’s comment was, ‘Bless God forever! He knows what a bunch of grumblers we are. He has sent us enough to keep us quiet.’ Another time the amount was quite small. Studd’s comment was, ‘Hallelujah! We must be growing in grace. He thinks we are learning to trust Him.’ Yet another time there was nothing. It was said that the missionaries gathered around Studd waited, wondering what he would say. They were not disappointed. He lifted his voice in a shout, ‘Hallelujah! Praise God forever! We are in the kingdom already, for in the kingdom there is neither eating nor drinking, but righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Ghost.’
“Some would think Studd’s faith was reckless. I suspect, though, that he had a special place in the heart of God because he dared to expect God to be faithful to His promises.
“As you look back, can you see in your life the undeserved goodnesses of God? As you look forward, do you look with joyous anticipation? You should! His track record is very good!”