The New Year Series

ILL.- Toyota recall - November 25, 2009 - WASHINGTON — Toyota Motor Corp. said it will replace accelerator pedals on about 4 million recalled vehicles in the United States because the pedals can get stuck in the floor mats, another blow to the reputation of the world’s largest automaker.

Perhaps we all need a recall in regard to our lives because we don’t always function properly. Sometimes we even get out of hand and do crazy things. And no matter how good we are, sometimes we mess up. WE NEED TO BE MORE CAREFUL AND USE OUR TIME MORE WISELY FOR CHRIST!

ILL.- Someone said: ON MY WAY to deliver a computer to a customer, I saw a handwritten sign at the entrance of an alley. It read: "Blocked! Do not pass! Difficult to turn back." I continued anyway, only to discover that the alley was indeed blocked by a fallen tree. As predicted, it took a while to turn the truck around. When I finally got back to the entrance, I noticed a second sign. It read: "Told you so!"

Brothers and sisters, God has told us so many times in life but it seems that we don’t listen too well! True or not? True for some anyway.

Some people just keep right on doing the same old things when they know that they are not right. And some day, it will catch up to them and God will do worse than block the road or put up a sign that reads, "told you so!"

Be careful in the way you live. Use your time for the Lord. Seek the Lord in life. Serve the Lord no matter else you do.

II. THE NEW YEAR - BE THOUGHTFUL

18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Be thoughtful of others. That’s always good advice. But here we are to be thoughtful of God’s Spirit who lives within us.

ILL.- From an unknown source comes an article titled, "How To Be Miserable." It says, "Think about yourself. Talk about yourself. Use "I" as often as possible. Mirror yourself continually in the opinion of others. Listen greedily to what people say about you. Expect to be appreciated. Be suspicious. Be jealous and envious. Be sensitive to slights. Never forgive a criticism. Trust nobody but yourself. Insist on consideration and respect. Demand agreement with your own views on everything. Sulk if people are not grateful to you for favors shown them. Never forget a service you have rendered. Shirk your duties if you can. Do as little as possible for others."

Are we ever guilty? At times, we are. We all like to be appreciated for the good things we do, however, we can get caught up in ourselves if we’re not careful. WE CAN BECOME TOO SELF-FOCUSED and forget about others.

ILL.- When Roy DeLamotte was chaplain at Paine College in Georgia, he preached the shortest sermon in the college’s history. However, he had a rather long topic: "What does Christ Answer When We Ask, "Lord, What’s in Religion for Me?"

The complete content of his sermon was in one word: "Nothing." He later explained that the one-word sermon was meant for people brought up on the ’gimme-gimme’ gospel. When asked how long it took him to prepare the message, he said, "Twenty years."