Samoa's parliament announced they were switching time zones

 

Singapore's "Straits Time" reports that Samoa's parliament announced they were switching time zones so that it lies west of the international date line.  That island nation's government makes this decision to get on the same time zone as its major trading partner, Australia. Currently, the dateline runs just west of the main island, making them 11 hours behind GMT and one of the last places to see the end of each day.  Incidentally, 767 residents were born and 43 resident couples were married on December 30th.  What are they going to do?  Next year, they will have a December 30th, but this one is being stolen from them.  Samoa will go from 11:59 PM on Thursday to 12:00 AM on Saturday morning.  That day will be lost!

I don't blame whatever percentage of the nation's 200,000 people that will feel gipped of an entire day!  However, we do that to ourselves in much smaller increments all the time.  It is so easy to squander the precious, limited commodity we call time.  We may not rob ourselves of entire days, but we may do so with our minutes and hours.  We've heard the adage, "Time.  That's the stuff life is made of."  Yet, how many opportunities do we allow to go by the boards?  Some spend much time in chat rooms, online discussion groups, or even Face Book rants.  Time flies and lost souls have not been evangelized, sick have not been visited, lonely have not been tangibly encouraged, and on we could go!  Entire days get lost this way!  Web surfers do the same thing to themselves, as do those who while away their time glued to the TV or their computer screens in idle pursuits.  

Stewardship refers to managing our God-given resources.  Time is a fixed, finite, inflexible commodity from God to us.  How are we using God's golden moments?  

 

--Neal Pollard   

 

Remember Christ the Savior was born on Christmas day

It's amazing how we can learn to ignore the things which surround us,
especially when we who are adults are constantly dealing with the demands of
life. We often reach a point that much of what goes on around us is just
blocked out. A few years ago we lived about one block from a train track.
For the first few weeks we lived there we heard the train constantly, it
would even wake us from our sleep at night. However after a relatively short
time we learned to ignore the noise, some how we just blocked it out.
Sometimes when people would visit and a train would pass they would ask how
we could stand that noise. We of course never even noticed the trains
passing.

I was reminded of this when our daughter-in-law shared this recent event
with us. It seems that "Bing Crosby was on the radio crooning out: 'Remember
Christ the Savior was born on Christmas day.' Upon hearing this song our 4
year old granddaughter Allison exclaimed excitedly: 'They're talking about
Jesus!!'"

How many times have you heard that song (especially this time of the year)
and not consciously though about the meaning? I know this is a problem in
other areas of life also, but what about when you sing a hymn in a church
setting? How often do you just sing the words from memory and not really
contemplate the meaning?

The apostle Paul giving instructions to the church in Corinth wrote, "I will
sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also," (1
Corinthians 14:15 KJV). That seems to say that it is important how we listen
as well as how we sing.

Singing is a very important part of our Christian life and fellowship. Paul
writes about this in Ephesians 5:19-20 where he says, "Speak to one another
with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to
the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Our singing is in part speaking: "to one another," (this is group
participation, exhortation and encouragement), as well as "to the Lord," (it
is worship). He also says that the music is made "in your heart," (it is a
personal involvement coupled with understanding).

So, the next time you join with the church, don't just sit there and be
entertained. Participate in the worship of our Lord, encourage and exhort
one another and stop and think about what you are doing or singing. After
all, if a 4 year old can recognize that songs sometimes talk about Jesus,
shouldn't we? Do you hear what I hear?

--Russ Lawson

6.1 million in unclaimed property

Lives are turned upside down on a regular basis.  Sometimes unexpected tragedy is the
cause, or a dire diagnosis.  Maybe domestic strife finally boils over and
relationships are severed.  Not as frequently, though, do we read of a good cause for
the upheaval.  But there is in Missouri a lady whose life was recently changed, and
we suspect she couldn't be happier.

We say "suspect" because her name and location have not been released. Officials with
the state of Missouri have only reported that she was told she had $6.1 million in
unclaimed property.  We can only speculate on the reason: maybe it was stock in which
her grandfather invested decades ago.  A large insurance policy taken out by her
unmarried aunt might be the source of this windfall.  Whatever the reason, someone is
now a millionaire (if she wasn't one already).

"Unclaimed assets" are something many of us dream about.  Occasionally our local
newspaper has a listing of people in the county who have funds due them.  I have
looked carefully, but never found my name on such a list.  In fact, the Missouri
officials observe that the average payout for such assets is only $300.  Still, few
of us would turn up our noses at such a paltry sum!

Millions (billions?) now living on earth have assets of which they know nothing.
These assets are not items of securities, currency or real estate, but they have the
potential to bring joy and happiness into any person's life.  Education or ethnic
background are not criteria; in fact anyone is able to step forward and fulfill the
simple terms to receive these assets.  If only more people knew about these - and
believed in their value!

We're speaking, of course, of the blessings made available by Jesus. He spoke about
this in John 10:10: "... I  have come that they may have life, and that they may have
it more abundantly."  Life in abundance does not depend on large bank accounts,
contrary to what some may think.  Just think of how many stories you've read about
wealthy folks whose lives were actually miserable.

Another statement by Jesus points to the richness of these blessings: "Do not fear,
little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke
12:32).  The Father in this case is God the Father; He possesses the whole world, and
vast spiritual treasures besides.  And Jesus informs us that God absolutely wants to
give us this kingdom!

Paul pointed to this lavish lifestyle awaiting our claim: "Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in
the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3).  We're conditioned to look for
material blessings.  God offers us something even better - spiritual blessings that
never drop in value.

Great gain?  That's part of the package.  "Now godliness with contentment is great
gain", wrote Paul (1 Timothy 6:6).  We'll need to develop a new mindset to realize
these gains, but they're there.

Have you claimed these assets?  The key is to be "in Christ" (note again Ephesians
1:3).  And when you're ready to get serious, Galatians 3:26,27 will tell you how to
get into Christ.

Timothy D. Hall

 

Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found and hanged

I know this may come as a shock for some, but Christmas is a real difficult
time for some folk. You may or may not celebrate the holiday as the birthday
of Jesus or you may just celebrate it as a national or family holiday, or
you may even choose not to celebrate it at all.

Whatever your choice, that's OK, we don't find it in the bible, but the
bible give us the liberty to celebrate things other than just the things
mentioned there. So, you may proclaim, "I don't believe in Christmas", and
that's OK, because the important thing is that you believe in Jesus.

A friend sends me the following little story that makes an important point.
"It seems that there was a woman who was out Christmas shopping with her two
children. After many hours of looking at row after row of toys & everything
else imaginable, and after hours of hearing both her children asking for
everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally made it to the
elevator with her two kids.

Finally, the doors opened to an already crowded elevator. She pushed her way
into the car and dragged her two kids in with her and all the bags of stuff.
When the doors closed, she couldn't take it anymore and said, "Whoever
started this whole Christmas thing should be found and hanged."

From the back of the elevator everyone heard a quiet, calm voice respond,
"Don't worry. We already crucified Him." For the rest of the trip down it
was so quiet you could hear only the breathing of the people in the
elevator.

You see, whether you believe in Christmas or not is really not important,
but if we don't understand the sacrifice that was made on our behalf we
believe in nothing. Paul reminds us: "But God demonstrates his own love for
us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8

So for me I really don't believe in Christmas as a bible based holiday, but
I do believe in the one that the holiday remembers. His birth was indeed
miraculous, if it weren't, it wouldn't have been recorded the way it was.
But it is his death, burial and resurrection that saves us! Yes, our sins
crucified him and he loves us anyway! Now, that's what we really need to
remember.

Russ Lawson

WHAT IS A MIRACLE?

 

            The Bible is full of miracles - from the creation to Jesus feeding 4 and 5,000 people with just a handful of a few loaves of bread and fish.

            On the other hand, skeptics reject the miracles of the Bible. 

 

WHAT IS A MIRACLE?

            The Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion defines a miracle as: "an event which cannot be understood as part of the natural order" ("Miracle", Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press, 1980. pg 360).

            The Concise Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (318; Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1991) defines a miracle as "events that run counter to the observed processes of nature."

           

            In the spirit of the prophets, who also had to deal with a lot of skepticism relative to the invisible nature of God, "Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord (Isaiah 1:18).

 

ARE MIRACLES POSSIBLE?

          Are miracles violations of natural laws? Are there laws that we have not discovered yet? Is there a God who can supersede the laws that He Himself has put in to place? If the God of the Bible exists, then miracles are possible.

 

ARE MIRACLES CREDIBLE?

            This argument is based on experience. No one - at least in modern times - has seen or experienced a miracle, therefore we can't believe they happened in the Bible times. But to say that some, or most, people have not experienced miracles does not mean that no one has experienced or seen a miracle.

          These skeptics think that a rare event is not as believable as a common event. The more frequently something happens, the more likely it is to believe that it did happen. Miracles are, by definition, rare events. But just because something is rare - someone will have a perfect hand in bridge at some point! - it doesn't mean it's impossible.

 

ARE MIRACLES SCIENTIFIC?

            Is it true that only what can be predicted can qualify as an explanation for an event? There are many events that happen in the world that cannot be predicted. Car accidents. A house robbery. Even scientists cannot always predict what will happen. Ask any weatherman!

          But the Bible teaches that miracles are necessary when God chooses to use them. God doesn't intervene in nature just to play around with us and confuse us. In their appropriate contexts, miracles do mean something. Consider Exodus 14:30-31.

 

          If the evidence leads to the conclusion that Jesus is God-in-the-flesh, then it is illogical and unreasonable to deny that conclusion. Jesus is God in the flesh and our Lord and Master.

 

          God does not call us to believe "impossible things." "Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

 

--Paul Holland

Heb. 13:1-2 ESV

Last Friday evening my wife (Grammy) and I (Papa) attended our youngest granddaughter's (Taylor) annual holiday musical pageant at the "middle school" where she is a student. They called them "junior high schools" in Grammy's and my day. For about an hour and a half I sat on a hard, metal folding chair and listened to some really talented kids sing and play music related to this holiday season. Being totally objective about it, I have to admit that Taylor was the prettiest and the most talented performer of the evening.

While sitting on my uncomfortable perch and doing my usual surveillance of my surroundings (I am a trained observer you know) I made mental notes of several observations. One being, how did junior high kids get so tall? Some of them looked like they might be faculty. Of course, they might have been because another observation was how young the teachers looked. And, if you think the teachers looked young, you should have seen the parents of the kids on stage. They looked like kids themselves. I don't think I'll go to anymore of these events.

Of course the performance was centered around this holiday season and the music was the familiar songs relative to it. Some mentioned "angels" as in "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" and that got me to thinking about a topic for today's editorial. (I had to do something to take my mind off of my hard chair and being surrounded by an auditorium of young-looking people.) Kidding aside, I remembered a piece I had saved in my "possible editorial material" file and thought that today's effort just might be the time to incorporate it into a lesson. Let me at least try.

In just a moment I'm going to provide you with the aforementioned article, saved for this occasion, but first I'd like to sort of gear our minds to the lesson subject - "angels." I'd like put you in mind of two passages found in the book of Hebrews that I think fits with our topic. First, the writer in speaking about "angels," says in chapter 1, verse 14, "Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation." (ESV)

Then the second reads in this manner: "Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." (Heb. 13:1-2 ESV) And now for the little "saved piece" which is actually a short story written by a lady named Laura E. Richards and adapted by myself. I feel that it fits both of the passages cited above.

"Mother," said the child, "are there really angels?" "The Bible says so," said the mother. "Yes," said the child, "I have seen the picture, but did you ever see one, Mother?" "I think I have," said the mother, "but she was not dressed like the picture." "I'm going to find one!" said the child. "I'm going to run along the road, miles and miles and miles, until I find a angel." The mother said that this sounded like a good plan, but that "I will go with you, for you are too little to run far alone."

The child protested, "I am not little any more. I have trousers; I am big." "So you are," said the mother. "I forgot. But it is a fine day and I should like the walk." The child then said, "But you walk so slowly with your lame foot." "I can walk faster than you think!" said the mother. So they started, the child leaping and running and the mother stepping out so bravely with her lame foot that the child soon forgot about it.

He danced on ahead and soon he saw a coach coming towards him, drawn by prancing white horses. In the coach sat a splendid lady in velvet and furs, with white plumes waving above her dark hair. As she moved in her seat, she flashed with jewels and gold, but her eyes were brighter than diamonds. "Are you an angel?" asked the child, running up beside the coach. The lady made no reply, but stared coldly at the child, then spoke to the driver who whipped the horses and they rolled away in a great cloud of dust and disappeared. "That was not a angel!" said the child. "No indeed!" said the mother. "Nothing like one."

They went on, with the child running and dancing on ahead, from one side of the road to the other and the mother following as best she could. Then they met a beautiful maiden wearing a white dress. Her eyes were like blue stars and the blushes in her face came and went like roses in the snow. "I'm sure you must be an angel," cried the child. She blushed even more and said, "You dear little child. Someone else said that just last evening. Do I really look like an angel?" "You are an angel," said the child. The maiden picked him up and kissed him and held him tenderly. "You're the dearest little thing I ever saw," she said. "Tell me, why do you think that I'm an angel?" But then, suddenly her face changed as she looked down the road.

"Oh," she cried. "There he is, coming to meet me and you have soiled by white dress with your dusty shoes and messed up my hair. Run away from here and go back to your mother." She dropped the child, not very gently, and he stumbled and fell down. She hurried off down the road to meet her lover. The child lay in the dust road and cried until his mother came along and picked him up and wiped away his tears with her blue gingham apron. "I don't believe that she was an angel after all," he said. "No," said the mother, "but she may be one some day. She is young yet."

"I am tired," said the child. "Will you carry me home, Mother?" "Why yes," said the mother. "That's what I came for." The child put his arms around his mother's neck and she held him tight and trudged along the road, singing his favorite song to him. Suddenly he looked up at her face and said, "Mother, I don't suppose you could be an angel, could you?" "Oh, what a foolish child," said the mother. "Who ever heard of an angel in a blue gingham apron." And she went on singing, and stepped out so bravely on her lame foot that no one would ever have known she was lame.

What do you think? Should we look a little more closely around us for "angels?" There's an old saying about "not seeing the forest for the trees." Perhaps we can be guilty of "not seeing angels for the people."

Just a last little thought and then the lesson is yours. As the little story so effectively points out and, as seen in the verse previously cited (Heb. 1:14), I have no trouble visualizing Christian mothers as "angels." As "ministering spirits."

A man once said, in speaking about Christian mothers, that "she stands in the place of God to the child." Wouldn't you see that as fitting with Solomon's admonition in Prov. 1:8 to "not forsake the law of thy mother" because a Christian mother teaches the principles of God?

I'm not sure if there are very many "gingham aprons" still being worn today, but that isn't the only uniform worn by "angels." They could also be wearing work boots and denim pants, military uniforms, grandma's clothing or even middle school choir dresses. Just be on the alert so you don't miss one.

Ron Covey

　

　

A Dog And Two Kittens

"

The news media know that readers like an occasional cute story.  And
what could provoke moans of "That's so sweet!" and "How cute!" better
than a story about a dog who rescues two kittens?

Reagan is a Labrador Retriever who came upon a sealed bag of cat food
lying beside a Des Moines, Iowa roadside this summer.  Someone had
placed inside the bag several newborn kittens, and then dumped them.
Before Reagan discovered them, the bag had been run over by cars and
only two kittens were alive.

Reagan managed to get his owner's attention focused on the bag, and
the kittens were rescued.  Three months later, Tipper and Skipper have
been nurtured to health, and news agencies are having fun with the
fact that "the Gipper" (Ronald Reagan's famous nickname) saved Tipper
and Skipper.

This is certainly a heartwarming story.  It also challenges the
stereotype we often hear about how people may be "fighting like cats
and dogs".  Normally these creatures are on opposite sides.  That's
another dimension of this news story that makes it so appealing.

The Bible, however, provides a superior version of the enemy-helping-
enemy-type story.  Jesus told it, and 2,000 years later it still has
instructive value.

You've surely heard about the Good Samaritan who came to the aid of
the Jewish man lying in the ditch.  Jesus described this victim of
robbery as "half dead" (Luke 10:30).  Without someone's assistance the
man would have died; he could not possibly help himself.

Two other fellow-Jews, men who should have seen their responsibilities
to help, simply "passed by on the other side" of the road (Luke
10:32).  The third fellow who came along had been raised in a culture
of highly-charged prejudice.  Jews generally despised Samaritans, and
Samaritans felt the same toward Jews.

In this case, though, a natural enemy laid aside his prejudices to
help the victim.  Jesus pointed to this as an example for us all: "Go
and do likewise" He said (Luke 10:37).  This parable is a legitimate
contender in any contest for the most memorable story in the world.

But that's not the ultimate story in the Bible about an estranged
party helping the other.  Paul speaks of that greatest of all examples
in Romans 5: "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet
perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  But God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:7,8).

If you fail to grasp the gravity of our situation, consider what Paul
went on to say about the effect our sins have on our relationship with
God: "For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through
the death of His Son ..." (Romans 5:10).  By committing sin -
something all of us do (Romans 3:23) - we alienate ourselves from God.
We become His enemies.

This beautiful truth reminds us, however, that God loves us so much
that He is willing to look past our hurtful actions in order to rescue
us.  That's far better than any dog-and-kitten stories I've ever
heard!

Timothy D. Hall

Titus 3:4-7

How would you feel if I said, "Kentuckians are a bunch of liars?
They're lazy. They're self-serving gluttons. They are simply evil." What
would you say? You'd probably say, "Paul - you're just mad that Kentucky
beat Tennessee last week!" You wouldn't take me seriously.
Now, that's exactly the situation that the apostle Paul left one
of his young disciples - Titus on the island of Crete. A poet from Crete,
named Epimenides (who lived around 600 B. C.), called the Cretans "liars,
evil brutes and lazy gluttons." The apostle Paul quotes Epimenides in Titus
1:12.

In the midst of that decadent society, Titus was to get the
church of Jesus Christ organized and continue evangelizing and maturing
young Christians. What a formidable task! What Paul says about Jesus in
this short letter is powerful.

THE CRETANS WERE DIRTY AND NEEDED CLEANSING:
Paul begins this letter by talking about "knowledge of the
truth" which is "according to godliness" (verse 1). Knowledge and godliness.
Christianity - our walk of life - can be summed up by those two words: what
we know and how we live according to what we know.

Paul quotes Epimenides in 1:12, saying they were always liars.
In 1:2 Paul points out that God "cannot lie." It is outside of the nature
of God, it is beyond the nature of God, to lie. It's not that God chooses
not to. It's not that God doesn't want to. It's that God cannot.

Thus, I counted 19x in these three chapters where Paul
emphasizes the truth of God. He uses such words as: truth, word,
proclamation, teaching, sound doctrine, the faith, word of God, instruction,
speaking, authority, believing. We cannot live the truth if we don't first
know the truth - 1:14, 11. But their mouths had to be stopped by Titus
teaching the truth (2:15).

But there is also this emphasis on godliness. Keep in mind that
the Cretans have the reputation of being liars, self-serving gluttons and
evil. Look at 1:16 and then 2:1-14.

CLEANSING COMES FROM GOD, THE SAVIOR:
Here is where we consider Paul's words in 3:4-7 [all one
sentence in Greek]. "But" - that's a sharp contrast. We once were but....

When did the kindness of God our Savior appear? When did "His
love for mankind" appear? It was clearly in the coming of Jesus Christ.

Notice back in 2:13-14. That is an implicit reference to the
virgin birth of Jesus. Paul here clearly calls Jesus our "God" and
"Savior." The crucifixion is suggested in verse 14. The resurrection and
second coming are also implied in the fact that we are "looking for" the
appearing (return) of Jesus Christ. So in those two verses, Paul succinctly
mentions the four great doctrines of the Christian faith - the incarnation,
the crucifixion, the resurrection and the second coming.

Not on basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness
Our salvation does not have its origin in our works. This would
include but would not be limited to works of the law - i. e., not stealing,
no slander, no adultery, practicing circumcision, fasting, diets, etc. There
is no way that we can obligate God to save us by our works.

THE BASIS OF OUR SALVATION: According to His mercy
Mercy is God's initiative - John 3:16. 2 Peter 3:9.
This mercy is undeserved. Romans 3:9, 10. We are all in debt to
God, a debt that cannot be paid off by our good works.
God offers salvation to "all men". Titus 2:11.

THE WHAT OF OUR SALVATION: Three metaphors... Here, Paul mentions "the
washing of regeneration (1.) and renewing (2.) of the Holy Spirit" and (3.)
justification. To what does Paul refer in this "washing"? Consider passages
which use the word "washing": 1 Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 5:26; Hebrews
10:22. These talk about the washing but one verse pin-points when the
washing takes place: Act 22:16 when Ananias tells Paul, "And now why do you
wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name."

THE MEANS OF OUR SALVATION: "Renewing" - This is the only reference to the
Holy Spirit in Titus. Again, look at other verses which use the word
"renew": Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 4:16; Colossians 3:10. Justification is
the third metaphor of our salvation. It is a legal term suggesting that we
were guilty but will be treated as if we are innocent.

THE GOAL OF BEING CLEANSED:
This washing and renewing is what allows us to be "heirs
according to the hope of eternal life" (verse 7). Again, back in chapter 1
Paul had said that God - who cannot lie - promised "long ages ago" that He
would give us the "hope of eternal life" (vs 2).

Unless we receive the washing of regeneration and renewal of the
Holy Spirit, our outside may look good, but the inside is still just as
putrid as before.

- Paul Holland

Fw: Messages From The Heart

Someone wrote, "Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil, it has no
point." That sounds like a cool, insightful saying to those of us who are
Christians, but what about those who are not. I received a question as to
how to answer a non-believing friend who had responded to this quote in this
way: "Life with God is like a lead pencil; you sharpen it and it keeps
breaking, eventually there is no more pencil." So, lets think about that
response.

How do you respond to someone who sees life and God in that way? My first
thought is that obviously this person doesn't know MY God! The first analogy
is not that God is like a pencil, but rather that life without him has no
point! To the response, of God being like a continually breaking pencil, it
makes me wonder when this person tried to find an answer to something that
broke in their lives, but when they didn't they choose to blame God. Now,
this may or may not be a correct conclusion, but I've known several people
through my lifetime that have reacted this way.

Does God break? Does God fail us? I don't believe he does. However there is
another problem that comes into this equation. What if you don't believe in
God in the first place?

The problem with any answer that might be given from the standpoint of a
believing and practicing Christian is that all of our answers are based upon
faith; which are based upon scripture, which are based upon provable,
confirmed historic facts and information. (1 Corinthians 15:1-9 for
example).

Those who do not accept the idea that there is a God who is in control of
our universe, really have nothing in common with us. Most of our beliefs and
doctrines are rejected out of hand because they refuse to believe that there
is a God. Whereas our basic tenant of life is based upon our belief that
there is a God.

The point where the rubber meets the road (so to speak) is that our belief,
our faith gives us something that those who reject God can never and will
never have. That is a hope, a belief, a faith that there is something better
for us than just this world with its problems and grief. It is a belief that
causes us to live, make decisions, raise our families, have certain work
ethics, guides our relationships and so much more. All of those things are
based upon our belief in God and the hope he gives us that (if you will) the
lead in the pencil never breaks or is used up.

For the non-believers this will not mean much, but to those of us who
believe, the words of the Apostle Paul seem appropriate here. He wrote:

Don't forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called
"uncircumcised heathens" by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision,
even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.
In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from
citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant
promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and
without hope.
But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from
God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.
(Ephesians 2:11-13, The New Living Translation)

I don't know about you, but I much prefer my life of HOPE, than one without
any.

Russ Lawson