GOD CROWNS THE YEAR WITH HIS GOODNESS

From the Board of Elders

Dear Members in Christ,

(1) God crowns the Year with His goodness

“Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.” Psalm 65:11.

We are now in the middle of December 2021, the last month of the year. With a blink of an eye January 2022 will be right in front of us! Time is a non-renewable resource. Once it is past, it is past. We cannot have 2021 back again. We can only walk down “memory lane” to either rejoice for what we had done or to regret, repent and wish we could have done better.

What had been done is done. We cannot change the past neither can we ignore what had transpired. We can only search ourselves and commit to do better in the days, weeks, months and years ahead. Moving forward, we can pray and plan to ensure that decisions made today are righteous and victorious for Christ and for His glory.

Watchnight Service: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28. God ends the year and He crowns the year for us with His abundant goodness and blessings. None of us lack the basic necessities of life. God provides for each of His children adequately in that none shall lack. Come wind, fire, thunder or storm our God will continue to provide, shelter and protect His very own. “Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” Matthew 6:30.

Let us remember, and give thanks, that all these blessings come from His loving, caring and merciful hands. Let not our hearts, mind and pride be carried away, thinking that we can do without Him! Do not be carried away and be blinded with much worldly pursuits of career and material needs.

We know that God dwells on high and He is watching and caring for us. The last day of the year is for each one of us to review and testify with gratitude and to give thanks to God for His goodness unto us. His blessings are more than can be numbered.

Self-Check Questions: As we thank God for His blessings for the past year, let us examine ourselves whether our love for God and our work for His kingdom are as dedicated, diligent and fervent as before as when we first love Him.

We need to ask: Have we turned cold or getting to turn cold in our love and in rendering of our service to God? Are we making the right decision if we consider withdrawing from serving in the Church? Has God prospered us so much in our respective personal and family life that we can do without Him? Have the blessings from God become our idols that we forget God the Giver? Or does God the Giver have to take away His blessings from us before we return unto Him? Or has Satan finally able to draw us away from God? These are serious soul-searching questions that only we can answer ourselves. Nobody can answer for us.

May God have mercy. May God grant us godly wisdom and understanding to answer truthfully these questions, and then, to repentance, forgiveness and returning to Him in love and service.

Be Revived and Return unto The Lord: “Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.” Deuteronomy 11: 26-28.

If we have been distracted and strayed away from God because of the distractions of the world resulting in backsliding, slackening, neglecting and ignoring the “still small voice” of God’s calling, may we repent and make resolutions this day to return, obey and serve Him.

(2) Make Resolutions

a. Read, pray and grow in the Word of God. Keep my daily prayers and Quiet Time. God’s Word “… is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” Psalm 119:105. I must learn, be instructed and keep His Word in my heart that I may live, do His work and sin not against Him (cf. Psalm 119:11).

b. Continue serving the Lord. I know there is a lack of co-labourers in the Church. I will continue to serve more diligently and fervently than the year before. Others may not serve, I will serve!

(Questions: If you have not been serving or consider to stop serving you need to ponder and ask: Why are you not serving or desire to stop serving? Is God not worthy for you to serve? Or is God’s grace not able to enable you to serve? Are you blind and indifferent to God’s love, care, mercy and providence that He had showered on you? May the Lord have mercy and turn you back to Him).

c. I know and believe that “… all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28. I will continue to rejoice, praise, thank and testify for Him in whatever circumstances I am in. I know He will enable and not leave nor forsake me. For He careth for me (cf. 1 Peter 5:7b).

d. I will continue to worship God together with the brethren by “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25.

e. I will provoke one another unto love and good works (cf. Hebrews 10:24). Let nothing be done through strife nor vainglory in the Lord’s work. May I esteem others better than myself (cf. Philippians 2:3).

f. God is the Head of the Church and family. I will be a godly testimony to my loved ones at home that the family may enjoy the love, joy, peace and comfort of God. If there is any broken relationship between spouse, parents, siblings and children may I humble myself to mend and reconcile such relationship to God. I pray for God’s mercy, grace and strength.

g. I know that as a Christian, I am in the world and NOT of the world. I pray that I will not follow nor be influenced by the world. I pray for God’s mercy, grace and strength to enable me to be godly witness for Him. I pray that I will be bold and courageous for the Lord wherever God places me. Help me to learn to forgive others and learn to carry each other’s burdens. May my life conform more to the image of Christ with each passing day.

h. May I be a holy and sanctified vessel used by God for the salvation of souls (cf. 2 Timothy 2:21).

i. Whatever things I do, help me to “… do all to the glory of God “ (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:31c).

Let us resolve to seek and serve God. May we not slacken nor be slothful in spirit but be diligent and fervent serving the Lord daily for His glory. Finally brethren, as we enter into the new Year 2022, let us resolve to “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” Proverbs 3: 5,6.

In Christ, Eld. Choe Tong Seng