Heartland News & Prayer

January 1, 2012 by Wendy Carter.

Happy New Year Everyone!

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14

Wendy
wendy.carter@kainos.org
This blog is a summary of our 9:00 Sunday morning services held at 7777 Churchville Rd., Brampton, ON L6Y 0H3, 905-230-8116. It can always be found at www.blog.heartlandfellowship.ca.

What Should I Do with Me, Myself & I in 2012? by Gary Carter: Even though the new year has just begun what have you thought about so far? What are you going to do about you on the inside in 2012? What drives you? If you don’t get enough of whatever that is do you become grouchy? Sometimes people suffer when winters are long and there isn’t enough sunlight. This seasonal affective disorder causes some to be depressed, tired and out of sorts particularly in the month of February. We are all a work in progress and we do change from year to year. Here are 6 “A” words that will help you measure yourself.
1. Achievement: the desire to compete against increasingly challenging goals.
2. Advocacy : the desire to empower others.
3. Affiliation: the desire to be liked/loved.
4. Appreciation: the desire for personal influence and respect.
5. Assurance: the desire for certainty and predictability.
6. Avoidance: the desire to eliminate the undesirable.

All of these have both good and bad elements which also affect the areas of our marriage & family, work, money, spiritual growth & participation, personal growth & learning, friends, play/recreation, and the body. Our goal should always be to strive for the glory of God and if we are not sure about something God will make things clear (Philippians 3:12-15) if and only if we are committed to the single minded life. Make this year a little better than last year. Gary has promised Wendy to put his shoes in their bedroom cupboard when taking them off. Most of these little disciplines are not hard work but only can be done by you alone (not a family member/boss).

New Year’s Resolutions by Steve Macdonald: Less than 50% of American adults make a New Year’s resolution. Of those who make a resolution, 75% get past the first week; 71% get past the second week; 64% get past the first month; and 46 % get past 6 months. Where did the idea for making resolutions come from?

Nearly four thousand years ago, Babylonians often celebrated the evening before the first full moon immediately after the first day of spring (usually around March 25). They had a habit of making resolutions on the New Year.  One common resolution was returning things that were borrowed from friends and neighbours. The start of the new year was a good time to return borrowed items, such as farming equipment. They began the new year with a clean slate. The Romans continued to observe the New Year on March 25, but their calendar was continually tampered with by various emperors so that the calendar soon became out of synchronization with the sun. In order to set the calendar right, the Roman senate, in 153 BC, declared January 1 to be the beginning of the New Year. Tampering continued until Julius Caesar, in 46 BC, established what has come to be known as the Julian Calendar. The Romans named the first month of the year after Janus, the god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances. He was always depicted with two faces, one on the front of his head and one on the back. Thus he could look backward and forward at the same time. At midnight on December 31, the Romans imagined Janus looking back at the old year and forward to the new.

Do we need to wait for New Year’s to make a resolution to improve ourselves? Not really. The Babylonians wanted to start with a clean slate each year. We have been given a new start, a clean slate because our debt was erased on the cross. Why do we need to improve daily and how do we do that? Psalm 118: 24 says, “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Also see Philippians 3:14 above. Setting a goal or striving to do good things at the beginning of the new year can be stimulating, but it’s the motivation to keep the resolution that is important. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 reads, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

Conversations with Jesus – Jesus and Beelzebub (Luke 11:14-28) by Chris Burton: Jesus casts out a demon and most of the crowds marvel, but some accuse Him of driving out demons by the power of Satan himself (17-28). Others ask for a sign from heaven (29-32). Jesus responds with three statements. If Satan were attacking his own forces, he would soon defeat himself. Jewish exorcists (commonly used during that time) would be subject to the same criticism. If Jesus casts out demons by overpowering doesn’t that mean He has God’s backing? Jesus throws in a quick little parable for all that are listening. He drives out the demons by “the finger of God” - no amount of power or “armed guards” are going to stop Him. And so
1) The home (the person) has been cleaned out but not yet purified. You can stop sinning or doing evil but unless it is replaced by Christ the demons will return.
2) Unless the “house” of an ex-sinner is inhabited and guarded, it will fall again and be worse than before.
3) As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” This isn’t about my mother; it’s about MY FATHER! Catholics should take note!

The Lord & Me by Gary Carter: The Greek word for Lord is “Kurios”. It appears 722 times in the New Testament in various case forms and most often refers to Jesus. A lord/master/sir is a person exercising absolute ownership rights e.g. a CEO, owner or boss. It is a term of respect. Jesus becomes the boss or in charge of my life and everything I do I put under His Lordship – everything relates to Him and for Him. Here are some New Testament references demonstrating that the word Lord was not always used in its fullest sense.
1. John 20:28: Thomas sees the Lord is God when he says “My Lord and My God” after Christ’s resurrection.
2. Matthew 7:21: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” People will say they are Christians but do not obey God’s Word or do His will. Being a Christian is a collective experience; there is no evidence for the legitimacy of private faith.
3. Matthew 8:2: A man was looking for something for himself. He wanted Jesus to heal him of his leprosy. Canada won 3-2 in hockey last night against the Americans and so the Canadian flag was raised with the singing of O Canada. The players sang, “God keep our land, glorious and free.” What does that mean? Many don’t really care about the God who can do so. They use His name and misuse it.
4. Matthew 8:6, 8: A centurion wanted Jesus to heal his paralyzed servant. He conveyed a different tone of humility with no prior right. He understood the weight of the word “Lord”.
5. Matthew 8:21: A disciple wanted to take care of his family obligations before following the Lord.
6. Matthew 8:25: Like the man with leprosy the disciples wanted the Lord to save them during the storm on the lake.
What do you live for? When Gary meets his Lord he would like to hear, “Pretty good, Gary! You played fair; you were a friend to friends.” Are you a representative of Jesus for all people? Are you respected at work? Maybe there are different areas that you need to brush up on this year.

Mish Mash by Steve Macdonald:
If a pony has a cold is it a little hoarse?
If you get lost driving on New Year’s eve is it because of the Old Lane Signs?
Does a bankrupt gardener forget the past and concentrate on the fuchsia?
Why did a new drug given to women compel them to join a convent? The FDA refused to license it as it seems it was habit forming.
How are winter coats insulated? They are down loaded.
Why do Optometrists live longer? Because they dilate.
If the butcher backed up into the meat grinder would he get a little behind in his work?
Why did the Buddhist refuse pain-killers during the root canal? Because he wanted to transcend dental medication.

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