In Psalm 1, God says the way to a prosperous life (which includes the new year) is to not allow yourself to get into agreement with those who do not seek to follow after God, but to delight yourself in the Bible, and to meditate in it day and night.

The Bible is far from just another book.  Down through history, many enemies of the Bible have attempted destroy it, but most of them are long gone, and the Bible remains.  Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall never pass away.”  The Bible is not just a history book, but when it speak historically, it speaks correctly.  It is not a science book, but when it speaks to matters of science, it speaks correctly.  The Bible is living and powerful and always accomplishes what God sends it to do.  The Bible is the believer’s roadmap to find prosperity in every area of life.  The Bible points us to Jesus, and Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

The greatest prosperity any person will ever find will be found in a closer walk with God.  A closer walk begins with a willing heart.

Change has been a big word in our society, in these last few months.  It seems like something always needs changing, and it seems like things always are changing, but the problem is, usually what changes is not what we would prefer to change.

Simply knowing something will not bring about change.  There has to be a motivation that leads to action.  God is powerful to change us, but most often He does not simply “zap” us in order to make the change.  Most often, He works through our will.

The Bible tells us that as we think in our heart, that’s the way we are; however, there is a process that takes place between our thoughts and actions.   Our thoughts form our beliefs, our beliefs manifest themselves in our words, and our words will soon become actions, then from our actions, we reap results.  So, that being true, the surest way to bring about needed change in our life is to find ways to change our thinking.  What we see and hear is a major stimulus to what we think; therefore, we need to purposefully see and hear those things that will send us off in the right direction.

In Job 31:1, Job said, “I made a covenant with my eyes…”  That’s exactly what we need to do.

The Bible declares that the body of a believer is the temple of the Holy Ghost.  We are told to glorify God in our body, and in our spirit, which are the Lord’s.

This is the time of year that people give more thought to their health and physical fitness than, perhaps, any other time of the year.  We are wise to think in terms of what we might be able to do that would better care for God’s temple.  There are three major areas of care that will have a certain impact on our well-being:  How we eat, rest, and exercise.  None of those are necessarily fun to deal with, but they are necessary.  It’s really best not to wait until they have split your chest open to become motivated to do what you know you ought to do.

It’s kind of sad to look under a Christmas tree, that just a day before had gifts wrapped and ready to be received, and see that gift that was not picked up by the intended recipient.  That person was thought of, shopped for, and the price has been paid for him to have that gift, yet he doesn’t have it, because he has not received it.  He was invited, but when everybody else gathered for the happy occasion of opening the gifts, he wasn’t there.  Maybe he bought a farm and had to go see it, maybe he bought a yoke of oxen and had to go prove them, or maybe he married a wife.  Whatever his perceived reason, he didn’t get the gift.

Second Corinthians 9:15 says, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.”

In 1865, William Dix, very ill at the time, wrote the song, “What Child Is This?”  It continues to be a favorite and speaks wonderful, biblical truth of the coming of the Lord Jesus.

Given the fact that there are so many Old Testament passages that foretold of Him, how could so many, who witnessed His life and ministry, have failed to believe?  A greater question is how can those who hear the message of the gospel, and witness the evidence in the lives of believers, fail to believe today?

Christmas is such a powerful time for conveying the gospel, it’s no wonder the enemy has made such an all out effort to replace Jesus with Santa Claus.