You are familiar with the plastic shopping bags. Some years ago I saw written on one bag: CHRISTMAS BEGINS AT NEW WORLD! ( New World=Supermarket) There was a picture as well if I remember correctly.

We used to live in Kaikohe for a long time. Once coming back from Whangaparaoa to Kaikohe straight after Christmas we made a stop in Whangarei at a parksite. I asked some young people in the park what CHRISTMAS meant to them. ( Personal Evangelism) “Being together with family and friends and good food,” was the answer. May be the good food reply indicates that it is true for some people that Christmas begins in the foodshops. But that is not a beginning; it is a dead end.

CHRISTMAS begins with the love of God when the Son of God came down to earth and was born in a manger in Bethlehem. He became poor that we might become rich. The Bible says it like that in Second Corinthians 8:9. He took our SIN and gave us his GLORY! Christmas for us begins when we see us as poor sinners and accept the glorious way of redemption the Lord has prepared for us before the foundation of the world.

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From a Travel Brochure:

” Fiji…leave your worries behind and prepare to descend into a world where time counts for little, stress is a world away and your tropical island dreams become reality. Bula, welcome to paradise!”( Paradise again!)

Saw this written on the side of a bus: “Paradise Connexion, Doubtless Bay”

Not too long ago we had some work done by:  ” Paradise Kitchens- Kitchens with distinction”

Is it possible to leave worries behind? Does it work?

The best way to deal with worries is: Philippians 4:4-6

No need to travel!

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Matthew 5:16

Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam across the wave!

Some poor fainting, struggling seaman you may rescue, you may save.

Brightly beams our Father’s mercy from his lighthouse evermore, but to us he gives the keeping of the lights along the shore.

Dark the night of sin has settled, loud the angry billows roar; eager eyes are watching, longing, for the lights along the shore.

Trim your feeble lamp my brother! Some poor sailor tempest tossed, trying now to make the harbour, in the darkness may be lost.

Philip P. Bliss

That says a poster produced by the Citizens Advice Bureau. And that is true. Life is really full of questions. And we are really thankful to get the lowdown at he CAB. Of course it can be a hassle at times. For me it is a hassle all the time. I mean to find answers. But if you want free, confidential and impartial information go to the CAB. They say they have time to listen and are happy to help. One paragraph says,” If you’ve got any questions, big or small, the Citizens Advice Bureau can help you find the answers.”

They are dealing with questions concerning Consumer Affairs, Health and welfare… and so on.

But what about the really big questions in lfe? Where do I come from? Where do I go? What is life all about? What is the real meaning to life? Where can I find peace for my conscience which is accusing me day and night?

Only our creator can answer those questions. We do find the answer to all those questions in the Bible. And once we have connected in the right way with the Lord Jesus Christ all those other questions are easier to deal with because we can make all our questions known to God in prayer. He will listen to us! It says so in his word. Philippians 4:4-6.

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The FUN CAR SIGNS in the two Dollar shop caught my eyes. One said: Just do it my way! It said also collect them all. On the package in the left hand upper corner it said: SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

And is that not a sign of the time: Do it my way. I had to buy it. On the back it even said how to use them and how to care for them. By the way they were made in Thailand. A sign of the time is that we are all sitting on our own little thrones and are saying: Do it my way! Some years ago now I remember seeing in Whangarei a book displayed called MY WAY by Robert Muldoon , the onetime prime minister of NZ. It must have been quite expensive at one stage, but now it was heavily reduced. It was probably difficult to sell.

MY WAY does not matter. And YOUR WAY does not matter. ‘My way’ and ‘your way’ does not work. But the WAY of our creator God works!

The Lord Jesus Christ says about himself in John 14:6 “I am the way….no one comes to the father except through me.”

No more needs to be said!

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I like to have a look around in the Two Dollar shops. Today I found a magnet to decorate the refrigerator with and on it was written:” Live every day as if it’s your last. Enjoy the moment. Forget the past. It even rhymes. I notice that. For most of us it is probably easy to live every day as if it’s our last. Or is it? May be it is also easy for most of us to enjoy the moment. Or may be it takes some skill to do that.

But what about forgetting the PAST? That is not easy for any of us!

For some of us it is really difficult to remember things, Bible verses for example and we are complaining to other people about it until somebody says, ” Remembering is no problem, but forgetting is the problem.” Mainly older people are saying that.

For some reason or another we cannot forget the past, especially all the things we have done wrong. There is a voice inside us called our conscience. And this voice is stronger than all the trumpets of this voice. That voice never has a rest, day and night it is calling guilty, guilty, guilty… even though there is no eartly judge around. We must repent. We must find a way to make good.

There is a way. The Bible says in First John 1:9 ” If we confess or sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins, and purify us from all unrighteousnes.” First John 1:7

Live every day as though it is your last. One day you’ll get it right.

I saw this written on a calendar and to me it sounds a little bit discouraging and aimless. For a born again believer it is not a matter of ” one day you’ll get it right.” We are looking forward to the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ–First Thessalonians 4:16– and dying for us is gain–Philippians 1:21–.

But what a challenge to live every day as though it is our last. As a preacher of the Gospel do you preach every sermon as if it is the last sermon you will ever preach in this life? It could well be your last opportunity to preach the Gospel, the Good News!

I love summers. And when I talk to the Lord I say:” Lord one more summer!” But there is one summer coming and that summer will be the last summer………! We talk like that of course the older we get.

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When talking to other people who go to Church–Christians–fellow believers–brothers and sisters in Christ, I feel sometimes like the writer of HEBREWS feels about all of us: Hebrews 5:12,13

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Click on on picture to see writing!–WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT?

“Giving a Guardian Angel to a loved one is an idea that’s truly heaven sent. Share any cares with her and she’ll bring hope and peace to your heart.”

In the case is a touching poem. It says. ” The Angel in this box is the guardian of your heart. Give her your worries and your fears, so hope and peace can start. Keep this box near you and know how much she cares. For when you need love and joy your Angel will be there.”

Ki mai nei ki ahau. He aha te mea nui ki tenei ao? Maku e ki atu. He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. (Maori)

If you were to ask me:” What is the most important thing in the world?” I would reply that: “It is people, people, people.” (English)

John 3:16