Happy Tuesday

The Danger of Drifting

BIBLE MEDITATION: “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” Hebrews 2:1

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Life is like an ocean…a trackless ocean with winds, currents and waves. We’ll meet ships we never knew were on that ocean and we'll have all kinds of opportunities, heartaches, tears and fears as we sail into a new year on an uncharted sea.

Scholars tell us Hebrews 2:1 refers to the sea—the writer is using a nautical term. He must have spent time at sea, because the phrase “giving more earnest heed” and the word “slip” refer to bringing a ship into the harbor, a difficult and sometimes dangerous task. A ship never just drifts into the harbor. The most skillful part of being a sea pilot is bringing the ship into the harbor. "Let them slip" literally means drift away. You have to be careful when you enter the harbor that you don't end up on the rocks or drift past the harbor.

The worst thing that could happen to us this year is that we just drift through it—live an aimless life—letting this year “happen” to us rather than charting a course and getting into God's appointed harbor. The winds of worldliness, the tides of circumstance, and the currents of the old nature are determined to cause you to drift.

ACTION POINT:
You will drift unless you decide not to drift. You must have an anchor. You need a fixed direction. It’s important, because drifting is one of the easiest things in the world to do.

Lighthouse
There's a Lighthouse on the hillside
That over looks life's sea
When I'm tossed it sends out a light
That I might see
And the light that shines in darkness now
Will safely lead us o'er
If it wasn't for the Lighthouse 
My ship would be no more

Chorus:
    And I thank God for the Lighthouse
    I owe my life to Him
    For Jesus is the Lighthouse
    And from the rocks of sin
    He has shown a light around me
    That I could clearly see
    If it wasn't for the Lighthouse (tell me)
    Where would this ship be?

Everybody that lives about us
Says tear that Lighthouse down
The big ships don't sail this way anymore
There's no use of it standing round
Then my mind goes back to that stormy night
When just in time I saw the light
Yes, the light from that old Lighthouse
That stands up there on the hill

Repeat Chorus (x2)

If it wasn't for the Lighthouse (tell me)
Where would this ship be?

Daily Smile:

Lead us not into temptation:

A driver tucked this note under the windshield wiper of his automobile. "I've circled the block for 20 minutes. I'm late for an appointment, and if I don't park here I'll lose my job. Forgive us our trespasses." 

When he came back he found a parking ticket and this note: "I've circled the block for 20 years, and if I don't give you a ticket, I'll lose my job. Lead us not into temptation."

In The News:

Sandy Hook Students Resume Classes for First Time Since Shooting
Students from Sandy Hook Elementary School returned to class Thursday for the first time since a gunman's massacre killed 20 of their classmates and six adults, CBN News reports. The Newtown, Conn., school is still a crime scene, so officials re-opened a closed middle school in the neighboring town of Monroe, re-naming it Sandy Hook Elementary School. "We want to get back to teaching and learning," superintendent Janet Robinson said. "We will obviously take time out from the academics for any conversations that need to take place, and there will be a lot of support there. All in all, we want the kids to reconnect with their friends and classroom teachers, and I think that's going to be the healthiest thing." Former Sandy Hook principal Donna Page, who retired two years ago, is returning to help in the transition, and local police will patrolling the grounds to provide security.

First Openly Bisexual Member of Congress Takes Office
Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, who was elected to the House of Representatives in November by voters in Arizona's 9th Congressional District and sworn into office Jan. 3, is being touted as the first openly bisexual member of Congress, CNSNews.com reports. When asked by ABCNews.com about her sexual orientation, Sinema said: "We've made history, and we're proud of that, but what I am interested in is making history by making things better for the people of Arizona's 9th Congressional District." Sinema's campaign was supported by the Victory Fund, a gay rights group that funds and trains LGBT candidates. "We're thrilled for Kyrsten," said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund. "She's a dynamic leader and she'll be a strong voice for her community and for all LGBT Americans." National Public Radio reported on Tuesday that Sinema is the "first openly bisexual member of Congress" and that she represents a "changing Arizona."