Wherever a man is, there is work to do.  That’s the best part of it.  My friend, there is a Hell.  It’s when a man has a family to support, has his health, and is ready to work, and there is no work to do.  When he stands with empty hands and sees his children going hungry, his wife without the things to do with.”
              –Louis L’Amour  (Bendigo Shafter)

    “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
              –1 Timothy 5:8 (NKJV)
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Friends, I’m sure glad I can still do a few things.  Now, I’m not as young and limber as I used to be, and sure can’t hump the boonies like I used to do.  The legs have aches and pains, and the ol’ ticker has its problems, but I reckon I can be of use in some ways.  Just not like I used to be.
    One thing for sure, the heart needs to be in the right place.  It definitely can be more attentive to God.  That’s a blessing of my life right now.  I can definitely be more contemplative than in years past.  I have more ability to do so as I’m not trying to do this or that anymore.  When a man can’t do something is one thing, but when he has the ability and is too busy to care for his family or is traipsing about doing his own thing and not caring about the things of the Lord then there is a problem.
    I’m thankful that we have not had to deal with the things my parents did–the Great Depression.  There are the “snowflakes” out there who are moaning and whining about not being able to get by.  And, by the way, “snowflakes” are not just confined to Millennials.  They want their school bill done away with, but a debt should be paid.  Scripture tells us that we should count the cost before undertaking a major endeavor, hmmm, such as a large debt.
    Remember, some of you, others do not have the slightest idea of the following analogy and I guess that may be a blessing (or a gap in their experience), the televisions of yore.  You would sit down to watch your favorite show and all of a sudden the picture would turn to “snow.”  You would get up and play with the “rabbit ears” to try to get a clear picture.  Sometimes it worked, other times it didn’t.  But you would twist them this way, and then twist them that way.  Finally, maybe, hopefully, the picture would be clear and you would sit back down and then the picture would start moving up and down or back and forth.  You would get back up and find the little dials:  vertical hold, horizontal hold, and would move them depending on the problem.  You would move them and the movement would slow down and finally, as you held your breath, you would release the dial hoping that the picture would stay steady.
    Compare that to your life in Christ.  The television is on, your life.  You are connected to Him.  However, often because of interference there is “snow”.  You can’t see or make out the picture.  Your life is a mess because there is something interfering with the connection.  Or the picture is rolling and is out of whack, just like your life might be and you need some adjustment.  There are many things that may be causing the problem and the answer to that would be to get rid of that particular thing in your life.  Sometimes the picture is there, but not steady and you may not be sure what the problem is.  Then you need to get in the Word more, pray more, hmmm, and it is so popular in many circles at this time of year, fast more.
    A couple of thoughts about fasting to fix the problem.  First, do not try to manipulate God.  He sees the heart and your motives.  Second, fasting should show we are serious about God and wanting Him in our lives.  If we fast to lose weight, well, that may be good for the physical man, but it does nothing for the spiritual man.  Fasting should be accompanied by prayer and study of God’s Word.
    (Thanks to Pastor Pool, for the idea of the television and his sermon last Sunday on fasting.  See, I do listen!)

    Each day must be approached as a unit; each day must be lived with care; and if this was done, the procession of days would turn out all right.  Tomorrow must be a shadow at the back of his thinking, something of which he must think while living out today.”
              –Louis L’Amour  (Last of the Breed)

“That He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”
              –Ephesians 5:27 (NASB)
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    A new year is upon us, now what do we do with it?  A time of resolutions, and no, these are not suggestions if they are truly resolutions.  A resolution is not something that is to be broken.  By the very name it is something that you “resolve” to do.  And that is as much as I’ll say about that–at least for now.
    I have pondered what would be some good verses to start out the New Year.  Verses that can lay a foundation for the year–for life.  In doing some reading the past few days I came to the conclusion that John 15 would be good.

         “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”
                    –John 15:4-6 (NKJV)

As believers, we know that we are the branch and that Jesus Christ is the vine.  With that in mind what is the branch supposed to do?  Not hard, so don’t try to think too much.  Simply, we are to live an abiding life.  We are supposed to abide in Him, so that our purpose may be fulfilled and that is to bear much fruit.  It is a sobering thought that when the Lord looks at us and we are not connected, not abiding in Him we will wither and He will cut us off and throw us into the fire.
    If you look at the first three verses, it is clear that to bear fruit and to maintain proper nourishment from the vine that pruning must take place.  Ouch!  Oh me, oh my!  Yes, it can hurt, but only for our betterment.  Jesus tells us that “by our fruit we shall be known.”  What did you produce in 2018?  Hmmm…in other words, what kind of character do you have and are you developing it in Christ?  Look at a person, their actions, their habits, their entertainment, and you can pretty much tell what type of fruit they are producing.  If they declare, “I can’t do this,” “Don’t be so legalistic,” or “That’s only your opinion, I don’t agree with it,” you pretty much know if they are hungering and thirsting for righteousness.
    One of the most important aspects of this–does His Word abide in you?  Do you simply do your duty and read a verse once a day?  Maybe you get a little vaccine or booster shot once in a while at church and do a “spiritual jig” and come out feeling that you are righteous and holy.  Sorry, that won’t cut it.  “Be ye holy, for I am holy,” (1 Peter 1:16)  When the Gardener comes He will find you withered.
    But you say, I can’t do this all day long.  I have to work, I have this or that to do.  “The “abiding” work is the work of the heart, not of the brain or the muscle, the work of the heart clinging to and resting in Jesus, a work in which the Holy Spirit links us to Christ Jesus.”  (Andrew Murray)  Don’t be led astray in this last days thinking that you can be partakers of the world, joining in with the earthly indulgences.  No, Christ will come back for those without spot or wrinkle and perhaps in 2019, we best be ironing out the wrinkles.