Good Tuesday morning! We are counting down the last few days of 2009! Are you glad to see the 00's go? We have endured some trying times in this decade. Wars and rumors of war, earthquakes and tsunamis, hurricanes, Enron, 9/11, Wall Street misbehavior (to put it mildly), a closely voted and hotly disputed presidential election, a major recession (too many worsts to list) and the Cabela's layoffs. Some of those may have touched you directly, others much less so, but even reading about tragedies in the news affects us. With all of that in mind, is it any wonder we are glad to see the last decade go into the history books? Of course, that is all bad news. What happened during the decade that we can look back on with joy?
That's kind of hard, isn't it? We are so accustomed to bad news, we hardly find a space in our overloaded brains for the good news. I don't have exact figures, but I would estimate that most of those reading this devotional today are alive. Many of us can even report that we are healthy and in fairly good financial shape considering how badly the economy has gone lately. A chap by the name of Arthur Blessitt has been carrying a twelve-foot cross through all nations and they have made a movie about his experiences. Many millions have come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior all over the globe. We have met many times in the name of Jesus in churches and homes throughout this decade. Some bloke even felt the calling to start a daily devotional! (The cheek of the bugger too!)
Every church held at least 520 Sunday morning opportunities to get to know Jesus better in this past decade. Many held thousands of Bible studies, prayer services, funerals, weddings, and other opportunities to celebrate life and the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Now we're starting to see the value of a decade! Imagine how many meetings Awana has held in this decade, or the number of one to one meetings where the Good News of Christ went out. Billions of dollars, pounds, Euros, and many other currencies were given in honor of God and in lovingkindness during this decade. Countless acts of kindness and hours of volunteer work have been committed to God in the past ten years. We have much to be proud of and to thank God for!
I graduated from college in this decade. Twenty-some years late, but a degree have I! Many millions of students throughout the world graduated on time with many types of degrees, making the world a little more knowledgeable along the way. Only God can be sure of how many babies came into the world during the decade; each one of them a blessing from His mighty Providence. Three times we elected a new president; a matter of no small concern to much of the world. You may not have agreed with the choices, the results, or even the method (urp, hanging chads again!) in each case, but the elections successfully placed a person in office each and every time. We had a man of African-American ancestry run against a woman in a major primary election. Again, you may not have agreed with... but you get the picture.
We sometimes let bad news overcome good news for a moment. During this decade, I received a certificate for fifteen years of work at Cabela's. I wanted to smash it into small pieces when they ended my job. However, a little voice said, "hold on a moment there..." The achievement didn't vanish with my termination. For many of us, our situation has changed a little or a lot during this decade. We may look in despair at the current situation and fail to note how God has brought us through some very trying times in the past. We have not only no good reason to think that God will fail us in this one, but his promise that he will never leave us at any time. Look back at your achievements during this decade. See how God has strengthened you and brought you here. You and I may stand at the bottom of that valley, deep in death's shadow, but God tells us to look up to the peak where he wants to lead us. Perhaps the peak is so high we cannot see it right now, but God sees it and wants to lead us there. I put the certificate back up on my wall. Like the cross of Jesus, that achievement is recorded in history. The world cannot take it away. Whatever you may think of this past decade, like Jesus said on the cross, "it is accomplished!"
Have a great new day in Christ Jesus!
Bucky
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