Quote from Forum Archives on January 1, 2004, 1:13 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Whether you've felt good or bad about the year just past or the
year ahead, there is Good News in God's Word. Today's message
comes from an Old Testament prophet named Joel, but its words are
just as true today.

My prayer for 2004 is that each of us find renewal on a regular
basis in the One who made us, the One who saved us, and the One
who still sustains us. His Name is Jesus Christ, and He is God
in the flesh. His Spirit is alive and in our midst even today.
Won't you resolve to make Him the object of your first love?

Yours in Christ,
Brian

Our Daily Bread
January 1, 2004

Restoring The Years

Read: Joel 2:12-27

I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has
eaten. --Joel 2:25

Bible In One Year: Genesis 1-3; Matthew 1

How many years have you lost to the locust? Have
self-indulgence, sensuality, sinful motives, and personal
ambition robbed you of joy, peace, and fruitfulness? Perhaps you
feel discouraged when you think of all the time that seems to
have been wasted, never to be reclaimed.

If so, consider the words of the Lord through the prophet Joel.
God told the people of Israel that even though they had been
disobedient to Him and had been disciplined through a plague of
locusts, there was still hope. The Lord said that He is
"gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness"
(Joel 2:13). Then He promised, "I will restore to you the years
that the swarming locust has eaten" (v.25).

When we confess our sin to the Lord, He is quick to forgive our
past and fill our future with hope. He can bring good out of our
wasted years. He does that by teaching us humility through our
failures, and by helping us to understand the weaknesses we have
in common with others.

Although our previous years may have been blighted by sin, God
is eager to restore us and give us much fruit from our labor.
What we have learned from the past can now result in productive
service for Him and heartfelt praise to Him. The year ahead is
filled with hope! --David Roper

Forgive me, O Lord, for all of my sin,
Please make my heart pure and cleanse me within;
To You I confess, my ways have been wrong;
Restore now my joy and fill me with song. --Fitzhugh

No matter how dark your past, with Christ your future is bright.

RBC Ministries is a member of the
Gospel Communications Network (GCN).

rbc@gospelcom.net
(c) 2004 RBC Ministries--Grand Rapids, MI 49555
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright (c)
1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.

Our Daily Bread is a daily devotional provided by RBC Ministries
for spiritual growth and Bible study

=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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