Although our New Year’s resolutions may quickly crumble, God’s plans never fail.
Charles Stanley
If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
The New Revised Standard Version
You are what you are, not what you were.
Yiddish proverb
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I wish, my brothers and sisters, that during this year you may live nearer to Christ than you have ever done before. Depend upon it, it is when we think much of Christ that we think little of ourselves, little of our troubles, and little of the doubts and fears that surround us.
Charles Spurgeon
“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11
The Revised Standard Version
A New Year Wish
What shall I wish thee this New Year?
Health, wealth, prosperity, good cheer,
All sunshine—not a cloud or tear?
Nay! Only this:
That God may lead thee His own way,
That He may choose thy path each day,
That thou mayest feel Him near alway,
For this is bliss!
Unknown
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Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past.
Henry Ward Beecher
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
The New International Version
What do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
Mary Oliver
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You know better than I know myself that I am growing older, and will someday be old. Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion. Release me from craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs. Make me thoughtful but not moody, helpful but not bossy. Keep my mind from the recital of endless details; give me wings to get to the point. Seal my lips on my aches and pains. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken. Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places, and talents in unexpected people. And give me, O God, the grace to tell them.
Unknown
Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2
The New American Standard Bible
When we come to the end of ourselves, we come to the beginning of God.
Billy Graham
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There are only two kinds of folk: the righteous who believe themselves sinners; the rest, sinners, who believe themselves righteous.
Blaise Pascal
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Ephesians 1:17-19
The King James Version
God be in my head,
And in my understanding;
God be in my eyes,
And in my looking;
God be in my mouth,
And in my speaking;
God be in my heart,
And in my thinking;
God be at my end,
And in my departing.
The Sarum Missal
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Earth grows into heaven, as we come to live and breathe in the atmosphere of the incarnation. Jesus makes heaven wherever He is.
Frederick W. Faber
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
John 17:3
The King James Version
I will light candles this Christmas,
Candles of joy, despite all sadness,
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch.
Candles of courage where fear is ever present,
Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days,
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens.
Candles of love to inspire all my living,
Candles that will burn all the year long.
Howard Thurman
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May the peace and love of Christ be with you this Christmas.
Christmas began in the heart of God. It is complete only when it reaches the heart of man.
Religious Telescope
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Luke 2:8-20
The New International Version
God grant you the light in Christmas, which is faith;
the warmth of Christmas, which is love;
the radiance of Christmas, which is purity.
God grant you the righteousness of Christmas, which is justice;
the belief in Christmas, which is truth;
the all of Christmas, which is Christ.
Wilda English
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There are moments in life when we are given eyes to see as God sees. Surely one such moment is at the birth of a child. ‘And this will be a sign for you, you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ Few stories have captured the human imagination as powerfully as Jesus’ birth. With a cast of characters that resonate across time and culture, it tells of God choosing to come among us as a child born on the margins of society, to parents reliant on the kindness of strangers. An angel appeared to the shepherds in the field and said, “Do not be afraid—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people—The promise of Christmas is not for some people, the most deserving, or those who hold certain beliefs; not for one racial or ethnic group, or the citizens of one nation. The birth of Jesus is meant to be good news of great joy for all people, a sign that God will never give up on us, no matter what; that God’s desire is to be with us, as we are. Moreover, the Christmas story suggests that God is perfectly at home in less than ideal circumstances. But Jesus’ birth is more than a sign. He came to show us a way, God’s way toward the peace and goodwill we long for. It is the way of kindness and love, forgiveness and generosity. The truth is that God cannot create a world of peace and goodwill without us. Ours are the eyes through which God sees. Ours are the heart and the hands through which God responds to this world in love. This Christmas I pray that we all may see ourselves as God sees us, with eyes of love. And as we look with God’s eyes at suffering and grief that take no holiday, may we respond with that same love, doing our part to help realize the hope of Christmas for all people.
Mariann Edgar Budde
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.
John 1:14
The English Standard Version
It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.
W. T. Ellis
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If we open our hearts and embrace Him, not only to reap abundance and joy and heath and happy fulfillment, but also for the cancellation of our sins—then this is the greatest welcome we can give to the Christ Child.
Norman Vincent Peale
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
The New King James Version
Jesus…
He came not to a throne,
but to a manger.
He lived not as a king,
but as a servant.
He chose not an earthly kingdom,
but a cross.
He gave not just a little,
but everything.
Holley Gerth
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I am Christmas.
I commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.
I bring good news and good cheer to millions of people.
I demonstrate how God can incarnate Himself in a human being.
I am the birthday of the Christian faith.
I bring the message of peace on earth made possible by the Prince of Peace.
I honor lowliness of mind and purity of heart.
I put God definitely within the series of historic events.
I show how godliness may be subject to the law of growth and development.
I am celebrated most appropriately as a religious festival.
I call attention to the spiritual capacities of newly-born children.
I bring encouragement to those of lowly birth.
I place the wisdom and the holiness of God within man’s reach.
I identify religion with human experience enriched by God’s self-revelation.
I celebrate the beginning of a life in which God was made real and immediately approachable.
Norman E. Richardson
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.
Micah 5:2
The New Living Translation
Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.
Dale Evans Rogers
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