never give up

FOCUS ON JESUS IN 2025!

(January 18, 2025) Carol Round shares some more thoughts re 2025…

In sixth grade, an eye exam revealed the need for glasses. As a pre-teen, I knew my classmates would tease me when I showed up at school with bottle-thick lenses in my frames.

Donning my new glasses at home, one of the first things I noticed was our kitchen tile. I’d always thought it was solid green until my eyeglasses helped me focus on the subtle black-and-white dots of various sizes sprinkled across each tile.

Despite my classmate’s teasing, a whole new world opened up to me when I could focus on the things I’d been missing. Though I eventually switched to contact lenses, I’ll never forget the change in my eyesight with the help of glasses.

Focus on Spiritual Growth
After reading a Christian article several years ago, I began choosing a word for the New Year. While there’s nothing wrong with making New Year’s resolutions, the author pointed out most people find them restrictive and ultimately ditched after a few months.

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USE BY DATE?

(September 11, 2017) Dr Jim McClure, straight-speaking theologian, asks a pertinent question…

‘What’s the difference between me and a can of beans?’ The answer is that the can of beans carries a ‘Use by’ date while I do not!

So many products contain a ‘Use by’ date – and that’s good because it may prevent food poisoning.  It is also helpful to indicate the period in the life of the product when it is at its most effective. But when it reaches a certain age, it’s better to discard it.

However this method of consumer evaluation fails miserably when we apply it to people – especially to Christians in the life of the church.  When we become Christians, God doesn’t give us a ‘Use by date’! But it often seems that others do – and we can begin to believe that.

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