Revival Begins With You & Me
In our home during this season, we have been in a cleaning out & cleaning up mode. Together, we have been clearing out Navy trunks, some that even date back to 2005, and we have been storing away our daughter’s childhood, college, and young adult items, keeping them until she returns to make decisions about these items. As we carry all these items, we carry the trunks together, primarily because of previous surgeries that remind us of our physical limitations (Darrell’s shoulder surgery and my back surgery).
In considering the goodness of our Lord, brother Spurgeon spoke the truth about Jesus. “It’s one thing to hope that God is with us and another thing to know that He is” (Charles Spurgeon). Pause to ponder these parallels—
Your Life is Safe—You Belong to God.
Your Soul is Secure—Your Eternity is Fixed.
Your Death is Swallowed Up in Victory! We know because the Bible tells us so.
“Jesus said to her
(The Gospel According to John 11: 25 NASB)
[to Martha who He had come to Bethany to comfort, along with her sister Mary]
“I am the resurrection and the life;
he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
This past weekend, a brother-in-Christ asked (and I paraphrase): Should we mourn when a Christian passes away or should we rejoice and be glad? Yes, we mourn for the deep loss that we continue to feel, even as we rejoice in knowing with assurance that our loved one has passed over into eternity, where we will one day see them again, once we too die. There is great peace in this truth.
Our Lives are Safe—If We Have Given Our Hearts to Jesus.
Our Souls are Secure—Once the Lord Has Sealed Our Eternity through His Shed Blood.
Our Death is Swallowed Up in Victory—The Sting of Death, of Separation is Gone.
In this newness of January 2026, may we each—
Love One Another as Jesus Taught Us.
Bear One Another’s Burdens.
Be Kind, Every Day.
Comfort Those Who Are in Need of Comfort.
Pray & Pray & Pray & Pray . . . for One Another.
Serve Others as Jesus Taught Us.
Proclaim Our Story of Salvation to All Who Will Listen, for “he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.”
Declare the Gospel, Demonstrating Our Faith Each Day that We Live, asking: “Do you believe this?”
May this 2026 year be one of cleaning out and clearing up those items that need to be dealt with this year.
May we carry the things we ought to carry and place them at the foot of the cross.
May we both HOPE & KNOW & RECALL the goodness of our Savior.
Revival Begins With You & Me
“Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have;
(The Letter to the Hebrews 13: 5-6 NASB)
for He Himself has said,
“I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,”
so that we confidently say,
“THE LORD IS MY HELPER,
I WILL NOT BE AFRAID.
WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?”