The 4 Cs for 2007

I awoke from a good sleep on New Year’s Day. How about you – did you have a good welcoming to the New Year?

I knew mine was good the moment that I opened my eyes. In fact I began to laugh at the very moment that my eyes opened. In fact I said “YES” – out loud. What made the difference for me? Let me explain.

In our bedroom we have a digital clock that projects the time on to our ceiling. You don’t need to raise your head to look at the clock’s face. There is big bold red numbers projected for me to see.

There on our ceiling was the answer for 2007 – I am sure that God gave it to me at the very beginning of this year… the time read “6:49”. All of my concerns for the bills we have massed over the last year with the renovations, Christmas presents and the everyday grind could be taken care of in a heart beat…. if I could just win a big pot of money!

Right! Not many people would believe that God gave a Pentecostal Minister a sign from heaven to buy a “Loto 649” ticket. Not many would believe that the clock’s time was a message from God to go out and buy the ticket. I guess I am beat. Oh well…Back to the discipline and the care of doing it the right way.

“But God I have found lottery tickets in people’s bibles they have left behind of Sunday. And God some really nice Christian people have given me lottery tickets as Gifts from time to time. Isn’t it okay for me to buy a ticket too? After all the sign was there on New Year’s day..”

His silence to that “asking prayer” is kind of uncomfortable. He did answer either way. Okay..?

I hope you read between the lines to understand my ‘lighter’ side.

But this time of year our debt is huge and growing larger every day. The TV adds broadcast that credit counselors and people that help with loans are now available to help us. Funny thing is these people were not there on TV before Christmas. The only adds running then were adds to help me buy more. I guess there wasn’t time or space to squeeze in the help for people in debt at that time.

One article stated that most people would be into July before the paid off their Christmas debt. That is hard to figure since most of what we bought will not be working by then – or broken – or maybe will only be used once or twice. It isn’t fair.

How do we cope?

Pastor Tim shared a great message last week about the “4Cs for 2007”. I think it is the best advice I have heard over these weeks. Here there are…

• Conduct – how we take care of our lives in front to others is important, what we do with what we have is vital to our success.
• Content – endeavor to be content with what we have… Pastor Tim shared that the fastest growing industry in North America is the Self Storage space...maybe we have too much - or are not satisfied with what we have.
• Companionship – Not only with other people but with God. God has promised that he himself will be there with us. God will walk with me.
• Confidence – It grows as I understand that God has promised to be there with me all the time. When I remember that “God” plus “Me” equals a majority – I have discovered a formula for success. A Confidence that God is at work will get me through anything.

Here are some great words to balance the hectic life of 2007.

Hebrews 13: 1-5 (NIV) - Concluding Exhortations
1Keep on loving each other as brothers. 2Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 3Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

4Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. 5Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." 6So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

~ Pastor Murray ~