Blessed and being a blessing in 2015

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015!!  We have made it into a new year!  What shall we do?  At Watterson Trail this past Sunday afternoon (28^th) I asked the church about Jesus’ Sermon on the Mountain in Matthew 5-7.  Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for righteousness sake.”  Are you…am I poor in spirit?  Am I sensitive to those who are in distress?  Are you…am I a meek person?  Do you…do I hunger and thirst for righteousness?  Are you…am I merciful, pure in heart, a peacemaker?  Do you…do I understand what a privilege it is to be persecuted for being like Jesus? 

I want to be blessed and to be a blessing to others.  So, in this New Year 2015, I resolve to be blessed and a blessing by being poorer in spirit, more thoughtful and sensitive to the sorrows of others, and a meek person, more gentle and understanding.  I resolve to hunger and thirst more for righteousness, to be more merciful, and purer in heart.  I resolve to be a peacemaker and not a negative person or a troublemaker.  I resolve to show my fellow Christians and those who have not yet decided to become a Christian how a man of God should react when he lives for Jesus and is persecuted for it.  I have already begun my quest to be a better man for God.  He certainly is everything to me.  I should be everything for Him.  We’ll see how it goes.

Maybe you have been thinking about making a real change in your life.  Now is the time to make that change.  Jesus Christ extended the greatest, most honest and sincere invitation ever extended in Matthew 11:28-30.  He said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  Beautiful!  Simply beautiful.  Put you faith in Jesus.  Repent of your sins; the thoughts, words, and actions that have caused so many troubles for you.  Confess Jesus as the Son of God.  He is.  Be baptized to wash away those sins.  We can certainly help you with this.  Then, live a new life, saved and dedicated to God.  Upon your obedience to the gospel of Christ, Jesus Himself will add you to His church (Acts 2:47).  You become a Christian brother or sister to all who have experienced the new birth.

The church of Christ at Watterson Trail is a kind, generous, and loving congregation.  We pray all the time.  We laugh a lot and truly want to show and share God’s love.  We support each other and help each other.  We worship according to God’s pattern in the New Testament.  We are called Christians because that is what the followers of Christ are called in the Bible.  We look to the Bible for our pattern for life and living.  We invite you to come and see.