New Year already!

Hello everyone!

Well, another year gone by. This year has gone by so quickly it is unbelievable!
I am afraid that I didn't keep my New Year's resolutions. It is rather disappointing to read over your list and realize that you haven't kept any of them! However, I am more determined to keep my new ones that I am making this year.
A friend was telling me about a man on a radio station. He said that he kept one of his new year resolutions: That he would never attend another new year's party until next year! :)
I think I want to add that to my list......at least I would be able to keep it! :)
I am exchanging letters with a friend, and she was telling me how she would really like to delight in the Lord. We may read our Bibles and go to church, but are we really delighting in the Lord? If we aren't, then how do we start?
Job 22:26 tells us, "For then you will delight in the Almighty and lift up your face to God."
If we are delighting in Him, we should be able to have a new look at the things He has made.

I am guilty of going through my day without really noticing little flowers that He has made, or thanking Him for my family. I think that we all do things like that. However, if we are supposed to delight in the Lord, then we should be thankful for things like that.

Psalm 1:2 "But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in His Law he meditates day and night."

Not only should we be thankful, but we should be thankful ALL the time! We should be meditating on God's Word and living by it.

But how do we delight in the Lord? We see the commandments of it, but how do we apply it to our lives?

God wants us to LIVE the Fruit of the Spirit. They are Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, and Self-control. The one I would like to focus on is Joy.

We usually think about Joy as being happy and fun. However, the word enjoy has a different meaning. It means contentment! So, when we are full of Joy, we should be full of contentment. We should be content with the things, big and small, that God has given us. If we are content or full of Joy, we are delighting in the Lord!

Have you ever done something for someone? Maybe they are sick and need a glass of water. Or maybe your mom is very tired, but the dishes need to be washed. Instead of reminding her that those need to be done, you do it for her. How do you feel? I always feel happy! I am content when I do things for other people.

Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than yourself."

If we are focused on serving others before ourselves we are delighting in God because we are following His Word. We are delighting in the Law of the Lord!

I remember a time when I went through a "selfish streak". I didn't want to do anything and I felt rather depressed. (I know some of you are shocked! haha) I was very sad. Then, my dad held an office party in his new office for all his workers and people that were in the same company. He asked Mom, Rebecca, and me to come help. We did deli trays and such. As I was watching tables, I noticed that the chip bowl was empty. I filled it up. Then someone asked if I could get more dressing. I was starting to serve others, and I started to feel happy. By the end of the day, I was no longer sad. I felt great and ready to serve anyone who asked for help. I learned a very good lesson. When we are selfish (which is against God's Word) we are sad and/or depressed; just the way Satan and his minions want us to feel. When we are serving others and are delighting in His Law, we are defeating those minions and drawing closer to God.

I would like to give another example that I was told from my Dear Mama. :)
We were sitting around the table discussing a Bible verse (Galatians 5:16-25 to be exact.). As we were discussing the particular part "....For the flesh sets itself against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh....." Mom gave this example:

All the time, there is a war raging. It is a war between the flesh and the Spirit, or the minions and the Angels. When we start to walk in the flesh (ex. get mad at our brothers and say hurtful words or don't forgive them) we are helping the minions win against the Angels. When we turn away wrath, we are helping the Angels defeat the minions.

Now, I will tell you that you should really remember this when you start walking in the flesh. I can tell you it works! The other night we had stayed up very late, and I was getting a little grumpy. I was mad at my sister, but I didn't want to admit it or say sorry. As I laid in bed thinking about it and scowling, I started thinking about the fight going on. I could see the evil minion pushing the Angel down every time I had a hateful thought. I started getting worried. What if that minion beat my Angel? I couldn't let it do that. I started thinking about how I was in the wrong and not my sister. Then, I started feeling repentful about what I had done. I could see the minion slowly falling; struggling for the winning slice, but, my Angel was already defeating him to a degree that would make it difficult to get up. Then, I felt VERY sorry and asked for forgiveness. The minion fell down in defeat and the Angel held up his sword in victory. Now, this may sound rather silly and not completely theologically accurate to you, but it brought a picture to me that made the verse so real! I also know that whenever I start feeling like that again, I will think about that Angel and the minion.

I would love to hear every one's thoughts about this post.
Keep striving for the best in you, and striving to do your best to delight in Him!

God Speed,
Sarah