GOD MAKES ALL THINGS NEW

The new year has begun! Our pastor Gordon Small reminded us last Sunday that we need to “remember the right things and forget the right things” as we move into the new year. Forget the hurts and fears of last year, but remember what God taught you through them. Forget your failures and disappointments. Remember how God showed you His compassion and gave you peace and victory in times of sorrow. Write your fears, resentments and failures on a piece of paper and put it into the shredder.

The past year was a time of struggle and hardship for us because my husband had four severe fractures on October 13 when he was riding his bicycle on a busy street and was hit by a pickup truck. He has come a long way and can now get around with a walker or wheelchair. He is still building strength in his leg muscles and dealing with poor circulation and discomfort in his right foot. The lower leg bones were broken at his ankle, and he still has some swelling and coldness in that foot.

But God has given us assurance that he will recover. God gave us the patience and hope we needed during the past three months as he was in the hospital and skilled nursing center. Lindell came home the week before Christmas. He is now enjoying our little dog Pogo and all the sights and sounds of this happy season. Dear neighbors and church friends have visited, and many brought delicious meals to brighten our busy days. Home health nurses and physical therapists have guided Lindell in his recovery. After weeks of a poor appetite and losing 15 pounds, he is again eating well and gaining strength.

So we look back on the past as a time of victory, for God helped us in many ways. We want to forget our sorrow and fears and remember how God answered prayer. God’s compassions are new every morning; great is His faithfulness! (Lamentations 3:22-23). He promises to make all things new and He will give us new joys in the coming year.

We want to let God’s word dominate our thoughts. We choose to put aside the past and reach forward to the future blessings that God has for us (Philippians 3:12-14). “This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me” (Psalm 119:50). God taught us new things about resting in Him when our circumstances nearly overwhelmed us.

What is it about your past that is dragging you down? Commit it to the Lord and put it out of your mind. Confess your sin and failure to trust Him. This new year will be a joyful time if we fix our minds on Jesus and trust Him for guidance and strength in everything we do.

Rosemary Watson

THANKFUL FOR GOD’S MERCIES
On October 13 my husband Lindell was riding his bicycle when a young woman in a pickup truck came out from a side road and hit him, knocking him over to the median of the road. He had four serious fractures on his right side and could not get up.

Why did God allow this to happen? We have been faithful to the Lord and have always tried to put God’s work first in our lives. There is something important He wants to teach us, and He also wants to use us to draw someone else to Jesus.

God is always merciful and His angels are always around us.. Before the ambulance came, a young man stopped on this busy road, stood beside Lindell and prayed for him to fully recover. Later we found out his name is Matt. He was on his way to a new job but he took the time to show God’s compassion. He had recently yielded his life to the Lord and was simply trying to follow God’s leading.

We are grateful that Lindell did not have a serious head injury. He had a cut above his right eyebrow and on the back of his head but no brain injury. Since this incident, three people have told me of friends who recently had serious brain trauma from a bicycle accident. Lindell did have broken ribs, a fracture of the pelvic bone and femur and ankle on the right side. But he was awake and alert when the ambulance and police arrived. I was called and talked to him before he was taken to the hospital.

Someone called the police to the scene. Eventually we learned that the driver did have some auto insurance. We could never pay for all the medical treatment Lindell has needed, but insurance should pay for everything! We have a Christian attorney who is helping us.

Jesus said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." He is the same, yesterday, and today, and forever. Whatever our trial, He feels our pain and He gives us strength to endure.

Six weeks later, Lindell is still receiving medical treatment and physical therapy to regain his health, having lost about fifteen pounds of weight and muscle power. He has little appetite but is slowly gaining strength. He is in an excellent skilled nursing center having physical therapy. Soon he will be able to push himself up out of bed and swivel to a wheelchair. We hope he will be able to come home before Christmas and be able to walk again. Recovery is slow for someone 81 years old.

The apostle Paul felt overwhelmed by his physical ailments and pleaded for relief. In answer the Lord told him, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Paul testified that he was satisfied by God’s answer. He said, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Cor. 12:9). When we go through illness and other trials it is wonderful to know that the Lord is with us. In the meantime, we learn to lean on Him in our weakness.

Lindell’s accident and injuries have tested our confidence in God’s goodness, but we are encouraged by the words in James 1:3-4 (GW translation). "You know that such testing of your faith produces endurance. Endure until your testing is over. Then you will be mature and complete, and you won't need anything." When we think of how much worse Lindell’s injuries could be, we know that God has not tested us above what we can bear. His grace is always available. His mercies are obvious even in the midst of our trials. I am grateful that my husband was not taken from me.

I have been able to share the way of salvation with Lindell’s roommate, a man who was robbed and beaten and tied up for three days in his own home, left to die. Perhaps Bruce will come to know Jesus personally. Also, we believe God will bring a wonderful change in other lives. God resists the proud but He gives grace to the humble and all who will learn from their suffering. May confident faith and abundant joy radiate out from our lives, whatever the circumstances of our lives. This is impossible in our own strength but nothing is impossible with God.

We know that God is going to bring some special blessings out of this hardship. We believe His promise that "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28).

Look back into your life and note the many blessings God has given you through the very heartaches you have suffered. Let’s thank God for His goodness, whatever the circumstances of our lives this Thanksgiving season. God has only good purposes in view, that He might give us peace and not disaster. He plans to give us a future and a hope. (Jer. 29:11)
– Rosemary Watson

CAIN’S FAMILY
When Cain was driven out from the presence of the Lord because he had killed his brother, God promised to protect him from vengeance. In the years to come some people wanted to kill him because he had rejected God, but the Lord was merciful to him and spared his life.

God put some kind of mark or sign upon Cain so that people would recognize him and keep away from him. Nevertheless Cain continued in unbelief and he spread hatred of the Creator. Gradually his rebellion spread across the inhabited earth wherever there were people.

Adam had many other children but they are not named in the Bible. Cain and Abel were special because they were the first. Later Seth was born and he had many children. They were adventurous and scattered to other places where they could find good land for fields.

Cain wandered for many years. In his travels he met some of the other descendants of Adam, cousins and their children who had settled far beyond the mountains. Finally Cain found a woman who agreed to become his wife.

Their first son was Enoch, but not the one who walked with God (Genesis 4:17-18). In Hebrew this man’s name was Chanowk. The name means "initiated." Cain wanted to establish his own way of life, so he dedicated this son to his ideas and trained him to reject God. Maybe some of their later descendants attempted to do good works to help others, but they had little motivation for this. They did not expect reward or blessing from God because they no longer believed in Him.

Chanowk built a city and called it after his own name. He was the leader of a clan and wanted to be remembered by everyone. His son Irad took after his grandfather Cain, often disappearing to wander from place to place, searching for satisfaction and adventure. His name means "fugitive" and became synonymous with that idea. Irad’s son Mehujael (meaning "smitten of God") was recognized as one who was truly rejected. But the next generation, led by his son Methusael (meaning "friends"), was accepted by his neighbors. That just spread the rebellion against God into more distant regions of the earth.

Lamech, the leader of the next generation of Cain’s descendants, was popular with the women. He had two wives, Adam and Zillah. They had very artistic, creative children. One son loved raising cattle and became a successful rancher. Jabal lived in tents because he moved around a lot to take care of his cattle that multiplied and spread across the hills.

Jubal developed musical instruments such as the organ and the harp. He loved music. His brother Tubal-cain developed things made of brass and iron. He must have been the first mechanic who fabricated tools and weapons. Some of these things were good, but they did not draw the people closer to God. Lamech’s boys had a sister called Naamah.

One day Lamech got involved in a fight, perhaps to protect his daughter Naamah. She must have been an outstanding woman, since her name is given in Genesis, chapter 4.

Lamech came home one evening and told his wives, "I killed a young man today who tried to hurt me. If God promised to avenge Cain sevenfold, surely He will punish the one who tried to kill me! I didn’t plan to kill this man, but he was going to hurt me."

So Cain’s family continued to live a secular life with little thought of God. They knew God existed, but they refused to worship and obey Him. Evil deeds and hatred spread everywhere they went.

Evidently this attitude affected even the children of Seth, the third son of Adam. After Seth’s first son Enos was born, some people began calling on the name of the Lord. They realized they needed God’s help and forgiveness. Some of them loved God and tried to please Him. But after nine generations, about 1000 years later, wickedness had consumed the minds of almost all the people who were living, even the children of Seth.

Then God saw that one descendant of Seth, named Noah, still honored Him. Noah was not a perfect man in the way we think of perfection, but he loved his Creator and tried to please Him. So Noah found grace in the sight of the Lord.

God loved all the people He had made and He was grieved that they had turned against Him. He did not want to destroy them all, so He decided to save Noah’s family and begin over with them.
Noah’s three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, respected their dad. They refused to follow the ways of the evil world around them. Their faith may have been small, but they obeyed their father and loved God.

This was the age of conscience. God had not yet revealed Himself fully, but He required men to follow what their conscience told them. They knew right from wrong because Adam himself had told them how he had disobeyed God in the garden of Eden. Adam lived for 930 years and tried to tell everyone about God’s love and holiness.

Those who lived in the years after Adam died heard the way of salvation through Seth and his children. Jared, the father of Enoch who walked with God, probably knew Adam and Seth personally and had talked with them. He passed on the truth about the way of salvation to many people, since he lived a total of 962 years before he died.

Why did people live so long in those days? Consider the fact that Adam and Eve had perfect bodies when they were created. In the garden of Eden they had eaten frequently of the Tree of Life which strengthened them physically and spiritually. But after they disobeyed God by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they were put out of the garden so they would not continue to eat from the Tree of Life. Their bodies began to deteriorate.

Without the vitamin-rich fruit from the Tree of Life, they could not fully overcome disease or maintain their health. Each generation had less physical immunity to pass on to their children. We are told in Genesis chapter 11 that after the flood Shem lived only 630 years, and by the time of Abraham’s father Terah, people were living less than 300 years.

God had promised to give eternal spiritual life to each person through their faith in the Substitute (His son Jesus) who would someday die for them. In the meantime, they were to offer an innocent little lamb to take their punishment for sinning. It was hard to understand this, but all they needed was faith in God’s promise.

When God told Noah that He was going to destroy the entire population of the world by a flood of water, his family believed, too. God told him to build an huge boat so he and his family would not be destroyed with the unbelievers. God was even going to save two or more of all the animals and birds on the earth.

It took Noah 120 years to build the big boat that would keep them safe. His wife and their sons and their wives helped him even though their neighbors ridiculed them. It had never rained on the earth at that time, and people could not understand how water could flood all their homes, the cities, and all the valleys and mountains. They laughed at Noah.

But Noah and his wife and their children remained firm. It took all their time and energy to bring in the wood, make the boards, and find the special clay to paste over all the seams in the boat so it wouldn’t leak. Apparently Noah’s sons didn’t try to have children. They dedicated themselves to this great task that God had given them. They believed God and obeyed Him.

Noah preached for 120 years as he built the Ark. His name means "rest" and he had rest and peace in his heart because he believed God, but he worked hard. Yet no one repented of their sin and turned to God. Cain’s descendants had succeeded in turning nearly everyone away from God. It was lonely and difficult to continue following God when everyone else loved wickedness and had no faith in their Creator. But Noah and his family were faithful, and God took care of them.
– Rosemary Watson

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

One day Seth was born. He seemed to be special in some way, maybe because his parents’ hearts knew true love and forgiveness. What joy Adam and Eve had as they watched this little one grow and learn how to walk! How carefully they taught him from his early years that God loved them all and would provide a sacrifice for their sins. They finally comprehended that all their children would be sinful even as they were themselves.

Sometimes Seth was naughty and disobedient, but he had a soft heart. He usually listened to his parents, and they could tell he believed what they told him about their creator. He understood that someone must die to pay for their sin. Disobedience was sin, and sin was a terrible thing. There could be no fellowship with God if their hearts were stubborn and proud. So Seth always brought a tender, innocent lamb when he came to worship God.

But some people did not listen. Adam had other children, and many of their descendants became careless about worshiping God. Some refused to believe in God. Anger and hatred filled the earth, not just from the children of Cain who lived far away, but some of Seth’s grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren rejected God. People hurt one another and even killed one another. Evil and violence began to spread across the desert, over the mountains, into faraway lands.

During the nine hundred and sixty years that Adam live continued to live, he passed on to his descendants the message of God’s love and holiness. Each child told the story to their children. Many grandchildren came back with their families to the home farm to meet Adam personally. People knew that Adam and Eve had disobeyed God in the garden of Eden. Some people tried to find the garden again, but it was lost forever.

From Adam’s teaching they realized that all people were sinners. But Adam assured them that someday God would provide a perfect, innocent sacrifice for their sin. They didn’t understand how this could happen or when, but the lamb was a picture of Someone who would come and pay for their sins.

God had explained to Adam and Eve that from the seed of the woman a Savior would come and crush the power of the disobedient angel Lucifer who had deceived them in the garden. Until then, they had to carefully teach their children how to worship God, the Creator of all.

Hundreds of years later, one of Adam’s descendants preached that judgment was coming upon unbelievers. Enoch was a man of faith, and he knew sin had to be punished. The world had become so wicked that life itself was in jeopardy. Enoch’s teaching was later recorded in the book of Jude. Enoch walked so closely with God that the Lord took him from the earth in a miraculous way, without dying.

God’s people knew that God was merciful. A man of faith would come first to deliver the early believers who had remained faithful to the Lord. That man was Noah. Whatever his name may have meant to people the day he was named, after many years passed his name became synonymous with the word "rest."

Noah was a man of rest, never striving against others but often reminding them gently that God loved them and would provide a way of deliverance from the world of violence and sin that was around them. He didn’t know at first how that deliverance would come, but he believed his Creator and he was ready to listen when God spoke to him.

Now that is another story. But first, what happened to Cain and his family? How did the world become so evil? Wait for the continued story!

-- Rosemary Watson

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

Coming into the tent, the young man sat on the ground next to his wife, a disturbed look on his face. “I told Cain again that we must bring a lamb to God when we worship Him. Only a lamb will be accepted as a substitute for sin. But Cain says he has a better way.”

Eve nodded silently. “I have seen unbelief in the eyes of our son for many years, even when he was a young child. Last week he told me that he doesn’t believe our eating the forbidden fruit from that tree was a serious error. But he hasn’t said much about it until now.”

Adam shook his head sadly. “Cain says that it is our right to know good and evil. He thinks that God would want us to know all these things. But God clearly warned us that eating that fruit would cause us to die.”

“Yet we are still alive,” Eve commented.

“But God seems so far away now. He no longer comes to walk with us in the cool of the evenings.”

“Maybe that is because we hid from Him when we were still in the garden. We felt guilty and we were afraid He would punish us. And He did punish us.” She sighed and wiped tears from her eyes.

“Yes,” Adam agreed. “I don’t feel comfortable talking to God now, anyway. I know we disobeyed Him, but I didn’t think it would interrupt our friendship with Him.”

The tent flap opened as Cain entered, his face red with anger. He stood with his hands on his hips, frowning. “I don’t believe in killing animals needlessly. I’m going to bring God a basket of fruits and vegetables from my garden. I’ll show Him that I have learned to grow good things to eat. He made all the plants, and He will be proud to see how I take care of them.”

“But God told us to bring a blood sacrifice. He must judge our sin, and we must bring a substitute to take our punishment,” Adam declared firmly. “Each one of us is preparing a lamb for the worship time tomorrow. I will give you a lamb to offer, if you want one.”

“God doesn’t want anyone to suffer. He is merciful. He has probably already forgiven you for disobeying his command. It was your sin, anyway. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“I only know what God told me,” Adam replied. “We must do what he says.”

Two days later the sad parents clung together in grief, looking at the bloody body of their youngest son. They had searched for Abel all night and had finally found his lifeless body buried under a pile of dirt several miles from their tent.

“How did this happen?” Eve cried. “Who would hurt our beloved son?”

Adam looked up, his eyes glassy with grief and anger. “Cain must have done it. He was very angry when fire didn’t come down from God to accept his offerings. He stayed out all night, perhaps because he is afraid to face us.”

“I didn’t understand what death meant,” Eve murmured. “I guess it means that all life leaves your body. Abel can’t open his eyes now, and he can’t talk to us. He is gone from us forever.”

“Anger is dangerous,” Adam said. “I tried to warn Cain when he ran away yesterday after our worship time, but he wouldn’t listen. Anger leads to awful things. It robs us of the precious life God gave us.”

A few days later Cain told his parents he was leaving home.

“Where are you going?” his father asked. “Why are you leaving us? We need you here to grow food to eat. It is hard work to remove the weeds so the vegetables will grow.” Cain frowned at his parents. “God told me to leave. He is sending me out to become a wanderer over other parts of the earth because I murdered Abel.”

Adam knew his son was a good farmer and would find plants that were good for food. He would survive anywhere. But Adam loved his son and didn’t want him to leave.

“I don’t want to live here with you, anyway,” Cain declared. “I have different beliefs. I don’t care if there are no people out there. I will not stay here and argue with you about what God wants from us.”

“Maybe you can find your younger brothers and sisters and their families who settled on the other side of the mountains,” Adam said. He had many other children, but they had moved away because God told them to multiply and replenish the earth. Cain, his firstborn, had remained at home. He was special. The firstborn would inherit all the gardens and fields that his parents had made. Abel had remained home, too. He had a strong faith in God and he wanted to protect and help his parents as they grew older. At that time no one knew how long they would live. Adam was already several hundred years old and no one had ever died.

But Abel is gone, Adam realized. His older son had killed him. Now Cain himself was leaving.

“You will do well, Cain,” Eve murmured. “You know how to make things grow.” She didn’t understand why her firstborn needed to leave, but she would accept it. Maybe it was God’s will.
“God told me that the ground will no longer yield its strength to me. I am cursed, and I cannot continue being a farmer. But I don’t care! I’ve always wanted to explore the far places of the earth. I am going now!” Cain shouted as he hurried out of the tent.

That afternoon Adam and his wife watched their son put his belongings into a backpack and start across the fields. They never saw him again.

Eventually Adam came together with Eve again to express his love, and other children were born. But they both felt guilty that Cain was gone and Abel was dead. They often felt angry with one another, and their children felt this. Their home was sometimes filled with strife, criticism, and fear.

Sometimes Eve looked at Adam with anger and refused to talk to him. Adam often spoke crossly to his wife. Surely she could have done something to prevent this tragedy, he thought. She could have taught Cain better so he would have humbled himself before God and brought the right kind of sacrifice.

They were very unhappy as the years passed. They had other children, but all of them soon left home and settled elsewhere. Whenever he could get away from the farm, Adam would walk far from his home and watch for roving animals. He had a special way with animals. Some cattle and horses would let him approach them so he could pet them gently. However, they weren’t as friendly as they had been in the garden.

He remembered those days when he used to talk to the animals and birds, even playing with them. He had given them names suitable for their personalities. Before Eve was created, Adam had nothing else important to do. In those early days vegetables grew quickly and developed perfectly. There were no weeds or dangerous insects to grapple with. Everything in creation lived together harmoniously. At twilight God always came and walked with him, pointing out new flowers and fruits that Adam had not yet discovered. They even talked about eternity. There were great mysteries that God promised to explain someday.

But now Adam found weeds growing in his garden. The animals were no longer very friendly. In fact, some trampled through his fields, destroying the grain he needed for food. Lions roared at him and looked angry. They attacked other animals, tearing at their flesh. Every day was filled with hard work. After a long day in the fields, Adam came home covered with sweat and dirt, tired and frustrated. The earth was no longer his friend.

Eventually Adam and Eve forgave one another and came together with true forgiveness. They realized that all their troubles were the result of their sin, but they knew God had created them to be a family and love one another. So they resolved that their home would be filled with love. And then God gave them hope for the future in their next son.

-- Rosemary Watson

Next time... HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

SEPARATE YOURSELVES

Sometimes we find ourselves part of an organization or movement we no longer agree with. We realize that the goals of this group are not realistic. Or we may discover that their teachings are actually untrue and harmful to people in general.

The best action is to withdraw our support and our loyalty from that group. This is especially right for a Christian who wants to glorify God. We need to be aware of what our church actually teaches, not what is generally accepted by the public, but what the select inner group are teaching and believing.

It does not matter whether our parents and grandparents were loyal members of that group. If we find unwise or untrue teachings being spread, we need to separate ourselves. Other people, especially our relatives, need to know where we stand, what we actually believe.

It is not enough that God knows our heart. We must not lend our support to groups that are promoting error. Yes, maybe their leaders were misled and deceived; but the group cannot be right if the founders were wrong. Even though thousands may be following that group, that does not make it right.

We are responsible to God for our choices. Life and death may be at stake, even our eternal destiny. Would you want your children to follow teachings that are going to lead them away from the truth into a hopeless and confused life?

Consider your political standing and your church affiliation. Your misguided loyalty will never change the convictions of the leaders. Rather, you will be responsible for deceiving the young people who follow after you!

Separation is difficult but it is required. This is even mentioned in Scripture, in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18. God says, "Come out from among them and be separate (verse 17)."

Separation means we make our stand and convictions public. It might hurt people’s feelings or shock our relatives, but these people need to know what we actually believe. We do not need to become a pest in talking about our decision, but we should make our stand clear.

Today there is so much talk about toleration and globalism that people often won’t admit what they truly believe. Yes, we need to get along with others. But they need to know that we are personally not convinced that certain actions are right, even though we may feel it necessary once to vote for a particular party or occasionally attend a certain church.

It is not necessary that we declare our convictions with a sign in a protest march or that we become a public speaker promoting our beliefs. But our friends and relatives, maybe even our neighbors, need to know where we stand in relation to controversial issues, especially when we are asked about our convictions.

America has always been a land of freedom. But where is the freedom if we are afraid to state what we truly believe?
-- Rosemary Watson

YES, LORD!

All who have received Jesus as Savior must accept Him also as the LORD and Master of their lives. Most of us have done this, but we need to have an attitude of "Yes, Lord" as we go about our daily tasks. The Holy Spirit will be telling us something we should do (or not do). In our inner spirit we need to be ready to say, "Yes, Lord," and obey the Spirit’s leading.

This is an essential attitude that we need to have as we come to church. We hear much important Bible teaching, but does it do us any good?

Check your heart as you listen. Are you just learning facts and maybe getting sleepy as you listen?

We don’t need more information about the Bible if we are not immediately surrendering ourselves to obey it. Hearing something new will just harden our hearts if we are inwardly thinking, "Not me, Lord. I can’t do that."

It is good to adopt a "Yes, Lord" attitude whenever we listen to Bible teaching. This gives us a humble and teachable spirit. Then we will be able to really change. Even when we are home alone, reading the Bible in our daily Quiet Time, our hearts should be saying, "Yes, Lord. I will do whatever you are telling me to do."

This is something I began to do at Bible college when I was young. I had been a believer since age ten, but there were a lot of things the Lord needed to change about me. At Prairie I learned that when God spoke to me, I should say "Yes, Lord."

This is the only thing that enables us to grow as Christians. God is not going to invade our lives and suddenly force us to live more like Christ. He is waiting for us to say inwardly, "Yes, Lord, I will change. I will do what you say."

When Saul was on the Damascus road and heard Jesus speak to him, he said, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:6) The Holy Spirit was moving into his life, and he surrendered by faith.

Thereafter his life was changed and Saul became the great teacher Paul. Why was he able to grow spiritually and teach others about Jesus? Because he learned to always say to God, "Yes, Lord. I will do whatever you ask of me."

Often we sit in church listening to sermons and inwardly think, "That is for other Christians to do. No, Lord, I don’t want to change. I’m getting along just fine being a quiet Christian. I don’t want to witness or memorize Scripture. It’s just impossible for me." Sometimes I get too involved in taking notes and I don’t listen carefully to the Holy Spirit when He speaks to me.

When we start saying, "Yes, Lord," we will find the power of God invading our lives and helping us grow spiritually as we obey Him. We will have the strength and motivation to do the things God wants us to do.

Are you a "Yes, Lord" Christian? How long has it been since you truly surrendered to God and said silently, "Yes, LORD! I will step out in faith and obey you."

This is something we need to do every day of our lives – surrender to God and really mean it when we say, "Yes, LORD!"