WEEK ONE

New Year

Scripture

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature: Theold things passed away but new things have come.

2 Corinthians 5: 17 (NASB)

Meditation

This is the first day of a new year. Throughout the worldpeople celebrate the end of an old year and the beginning ofa new year. We have made resolutions that we intended tokeep. Some will keep them but a lot will forget about themby the end of the week. Some of us will have hangovers, guiltand suffer from the things that we did the year before. This isa good time to resolve not to do the things that we regretteddoing the year before.

Saul of Tarsus was a devout Hebrew who strongly believedthat he was doing the correct thing by doing what the churchleaders believed. He thought that it was God's will for him topersecute, imprison and stone to death those who had becomeChristian. One day, on the road to Damascus, God shined agreat light in Saul's eyes and Saul became blind. He was ledto Damascus where God sent Ananias to find him.

So Ananias departed and entered the house, and afterlaying hands on him and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesushas appeared to you on the road by which you were cominghas sent me so that you might regain you sight and be filledby the Holy Spirit."

Acts 9:17 (NASB)

Saul was converted to a new way of life and was re-namedPaul. His spirit was reborn and he became a new creature, adevout follower of Christ Jesus and his way of life. We all canbecome new in spirit and become new persons if we followthe teachings of Christ, "Emanuel, God with us".

As we begin a new year let us think and meditate on thewords of Paul that he wrote to the church in Philippi.

"Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever things arehonest, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is ingood report, if there is any excellence and anything worthyof praise, dwell on these things."

Philippians 4:,8 (NASB)

Thoughts for the week

As we begin a new year, let us rememberthe things that we have done the year before,and let us resolve not to do those thingsover again the coming years.The teachings of Christ, "Emanuel"will guide us in our actions.

Prayer

Almighty and everlasting Father, God of those before us,we give thanks to You for being with us, providing for us andguiding us through the years. We pray that You will continueto be with us, through Your Son, Christ Jesus, as we begin anew year. May we be steadfast in his will and love throughoutthe year and through each year of our lives. We pray this inthe name of Christ Jesus, "Emanuel".

Amen

WEEK TWO

God's Creation

Scripture

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.2 And the earth was formless and void, and darkness wasupon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God movedupon the face of the waters.

Genesis 1: 1, 2 (NAS)

Meditation

Moses, who wrote the Torah, the first five books of the OldTestament, tells us that God created the earth and everythingin it. Scientist tell us that God created the heavens and theearth over a long periods of time. The large mass of hot gascooled ant the solid land was separated from the water and theair. The life that God began in the waters of the seas evolvedover a long period of time until there were microscopic plantsand animals that evolved into fish, larger fish and large whales.The early living things on the earth evolved into larger plantsand animals, including man. Christ, "Emanuel", told us thatwe did not need to pray to Him for things because He hadcreated everything that we need.

As I sit on the porch in the mornings meditating on God'smagnificent creations I sit in awe at what God had done. Asthe sun rises over the trees and the mountains new leavesseem to spring forth on the trees. The grasses and other plantsseem to burst forth with buds and beautiful flowers. Theleaves clean the air after being used by machines, automobiles,plants, animals, and man. The leaves and grasses recycle theair; cleaning the air of carbon dioxide and giving off oxygento be used again.

I think of how God has created the plants and the animalsof the seas and of the plants and animals that cover and roamthe earth. After vegetation God created animals to feed onit. Animals had ample vegetation to eat, grow and reproduce.Hummingbirds, bees, insects feed on the nectar of the flowersand pollinate the plants so that they can produce seeds andreproduce themselves.

As I feel the cool breeze and breathe the clean air I beginto reflect on our bodies. New born babies are clean, pure andfresh from God. I recall the times that I have cut or bruisedmyself. An army of blood cells come to the defense and beginto clean up the injured tissue, contamination and germs. Thewound becomes red and inflamed and the battle progresses.After the inflammation clears and the wound is clean millionsof worker cells come and repair the wound. When we breaka bone millions of cells come and clear the blood and injuredbone. Other cells come and after a few months the break isrepaired. When our body is invaded by bacteria, viruses, orfungi immune system sends a host of cells to attack and defeatthe invading organism.

When I recall what my God given defenses have done forme I remember the time when I had a respiratory infection.The doctor took an X-ray of my chest and told me that I hadbeen infected in the past with TB...