Yes, I know that New Year’s Eve isn’t until  tomorrow, but Gleanings will take a break until Thursday, January 2^nd.

Only God knows the exact details of what the new year will bring. All of us will likely face some trials and experience some victories. There will be joys and sorrows. We might spend some time on the mountaintops and deep in the darkest valleys.

My goal today is to provide you with a small taste of who you are in Christ, no matter what comes.

If you belong to Jesus, you are secure.

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one. John 10:28-30

You are sealed.

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guaranteeof our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory Ephesians 1:13-14

You are an overcomer

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1 John 5:4

You are a new creation.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

You are being made complete.

I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6

You are loved and adopted into the family of God.

Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love, He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. Ephesians 1:4-5

We may stumble and fall, but in Him, we are secure. Nothing can take us away from him.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39

Times might get hard, and the world might turn its back on us. We might face struggles or persecution. Whatever comes, my dear friends, we will remain victorious in Christ.

As we celebrate the coming New Year, let’s remember the one who stepped out of glory to reconcile us to the Father. Through Him, we have the victory. That’s worth celebrating.

In 2025, may you come to truly understand who you are in Christ and give Him the praise and honor due His name.

Be blessed

Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

Kevin

Gleanings From The Word

Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)

Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.

__________________________________________ 

Did you know that we have an email version? It has the same great content but in a different format.

Subscribe today: https://mailchi.mp/f27bbeb09c22/gleanings-1 

For an archive of many back issues, visit our website at https://gleaningsfromtheword.com.

© 2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

Christmas is over unless you are a member of an Orthodox Church; in that case, it won’t come until January 7^th. There may still be turkey to eat and undecorating to happen, but for most of us, Christmas 2024 is in the past.

We’re in the nebulous period in between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. It’s a time when people easily get confused about what day it is, and calendars get confused.

People are starting to gear up for their favorite New Year’s Eve activity. For some, it will be big parties; for others, it will be a quiet night at home. I used to enjoy the New Year’s Eve gatherings at “the cowboy church,” where we would gather for an evening of games and snacks and ring the New Year in with communion.

It’s also a time of reflection. Many will reflect on their resolutions from last year, some of which will be successful and some of which will fail. Most resolutions last only a few days. Other people will be thinking ahead to the changes they want to make for the New Year.

I don’t tend to make resolutions. If I were to make one, it would be more like Christ. That, of course, is an ongoing process guided by the Holy Spirit.

…and I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

God alone saves us. God transforms us. He redeems and shapes us to spend eternity in His presence.

There are Christian disciplines that can help us be readily available for Him to mold us. There is prayer, fasting, Scripture reading, worship attendance, giving, service, and more.

I seldom miss a Sunday of worship, and thanks to technology, if I do, I can at least catch up on the sermon. It isn’t the same as attending in person, but it helps. My prayer life can always use work. Fasting is something I have done periodically but never regularly. Tithing is part of our lifestyle, and we both serve at the local church.

Now, let’s be clear: none of those things earns me extra merit with God. We are saved by grace and not by works. All of us are sinners saved by grace and works in process.

The other discipline I am reasonably consistent with is Bible reading. I don’t do it every day, but I try to read the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation at least once a year. That’s on top of whatever other reading I do.

I will be reading in the HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible) this coming year. It’s a solid translation, not my favorite, but I’d have no issues recommending it to others.

By changing translations each time I read through, I gain fresh perspectives. It forces me to actually read what’s on the page, not what I am used to seeing.

I confess to cheating. I started yesterday as I had finished last year’s reading already. I try to be diligent in my reading, but I don’t give up if I miss a day or two. I pick up where I left off and continue.

There are plenty of Bible reading pans out there. I usually read front to back, but some do the New Testament and then the Old, others read chronologically, and still others have designated passages in both the Old and New for each day. It doesn’t matter which plan you choose; pick one and stick to it.

What are your plans for the coming year? Are you planning on reading the Scriptures in 2025? What plan do you use? Is there a time or place that you find helpful to read? What translation will you use this year? Have you done it before? Let me know, let’s all encourage one another.

Be blessed

Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

Kevin

Gleanings From The Word

Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)

Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.

__________________________________________ 

Did you know that we have an email version? It has the same great content but in a different format.

Subscribe today: https://mailchi.mp/f27bbeb09c22/gleanings-1 

For an archive of many back issues, visit our website at https://gleaningsfromtheword.com.

© 2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.