December 31, 2011

Dear Friend of YANA Ministries!

It is time for a new year to begin. Where is your heart, O Christian? We have just celebrated the birth of our Savior and now we are ready to enter a new year knowing full well that His birth, death, and resurrection have won for us eternal life. Where is your heart, O Christian?

It is time for a new year to begin. The old year went out with the praise of the LORD on our lips and the joy of the LORD in our hearts. The new year must begin with the praise of our Savior on our lips, obedience to Him in our daily lives, and the joy of Christ's love in our hearts.

In this new year show others exactly Who Christ is and what He has done for us! Spread His love throughout the world, especially to those who turn from the truth of His presence and power. Show His love especially to those who do not want to acknowledge that their future is in the hands of an omnipotent Creator, Who loves them and wants them to turn to Him for everything in their lives. Show His love especially to those who do not want to obey God but prefer to obey their father, the devil, who prompts them to fulfill their carnal desires and spread his chaos and self-centeredness throughout the world.

We have many battles to fight in this new year. The outcome is known - Christ is already the victor. Our fight is to reach the lost for Christ. Our fight is to overcome our own dislikes and shortcomings and show the lost how to love and how much they are loved by their Creator. Reach out, O Christian, to those waiting to know Who God is. Reach out in the new year and touch many lives for Jesus!

In this new year show Who God is in random acts of love spoken or demonstrated with a heart full of His joy!

Let us pray together: O LORD, precious, holy Father! Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us! You have put gladness in our hearts! (Psalm 4:6-7) You give wisdom and knowledge and joy to those who are good in Your sight (Ecclesiastes 2:26)! Our goodness comes from our Savior, Jesus Christ! As You look upon us, Father, see the light of Your Son shining through our hearts! Set our hearts on fire, O Holy Spirit, so we may bring the Savior's light of truth, knowledge and joy to those who do not know God! Help us to abide in Christ's love by obedience to His commands! Thus will we know His love and will our joy be complete! (John 15:10) It is good for us to remember that the love of the Father is to those who belong to Him and to those who do not know Him! His desire is for us to show others the way to eternal life through the love of Jesus borne out in His birth, death, and resurrection (John 3:16)! In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins! Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another! (1 John 4:10-11) Through our Savior's power and presence, let us move forward into the new year to show His love to the lost and cause His joy to be complete! Praise be to His holy name! Amen!

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