Environmentalist Rachel Carson said, "Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life." It is incumbent on us to deliberately slow down to contemplate the creativity and majesty of the Lord. Doing this puts life into perspective and repositions us to renew our awe of God.
 
Sadly, I believe that our society has lost its awe of God. David's Psalm 8 reminds us of the Lord's excellence. "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than angels, and you have crowned him with glory and honor...O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!" (Verses 3-5, 9 - NKJ) When I want to reinvigorate my awe of God at this time of the year, I look outside at the snow-covered ground and am reminded that every one of the millions of snowflakes is unique.
 
Henry David Thoreau says it so well in writing about snowflakes: "How full of the creative genius is the air in which these are generated! I should hardly admire more if real stars fell and lodged on my coat. Nature is full of genius, full of divinity: so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand." As I contemplate this statement, I look at a book that I have come to treasure over the years. It shows me individual pictures of over one hundred snowflakes. The author of the book called The Little Book of Snowflakes, Kenneth Libbrecht, explains that the images are of "freshly fallen snowflakes, captured using a special photo-microscope. The most symmetrical crystals are usually found during light snowfalls, with little wind, when the weather is especially cold."
 
Mr. Libbrecht includes some interesting information about snowflakes in his book. He writes, "Many well-formed snowflakes have six nearly symmetrical branches. Sometimes you may find twelve-branched snowflakes as well. One thing you will not find falling from the sky is an eight-sided snowflake...A symmetrical snowflake is not a frozen raindrop, but rather a single crystal of ice that grows directly from water vapor in the air. The process takes about fifteen minutes, as the snowflake slowly drifts to earth...We do not yet understand all the subtle mysteries of snowflakes. Exactly how the simple interactions of water molecules produce such a dramatic diversity of structures remains a puzzle."
 
The author of my snowflake book is optimistic in his evaluation that scientists do “not yet understand the subtle mysteries of snowflakes." I believe this is a mystery of God that we should accept and then let it grow into an amazing awe of who He is and what He has done. God has left us clues about Himself in what He has created. I am reminded of the song, "How Great Thou Art." "O Lord, my God, when I, in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hands have made. I see the stars; I hear the rolling thunder; Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee. How great Thou art, how great Thou art." Why not spend this week contemplating the mysteries of God? It will increase our awe of Him. 

​The Church is defined as the Bride of Christ and Christ as our Bridegroom. Our time on earth is meant as a time of preparation so that we can present our lives to the Bridegroom as pure and spotless just as our spirits are now. The season of preparation can be difficult because it involves sacrifice and discipline. God's people, whose stories are told in the Bible, had to spend time in the wilderness. This is the place where we learn to focus on the Bridegroom. That means we must be willing to leave familiar places to follow the Holy Spirit into the wilderness.
 
One of the women in the Bible who exemplifies this bride is Rebekah. Before we meet her in the Bible, we read the story of Abraham and how he was preparing for his death. His servant, Eliezer (meaning "God is my help"), was directed to travel to Abraham's homeland to find a wife for his son, Isaac. The woman he would bring back had to be willing to follow him. In other words, she had to follow him into the wilderness. In this story, Eliezer represents the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is looking for a pure, virgin bride who is not enticed by the gods of this world.
 
Before meeting Rebekah, Eliezer had a talk with God and asked Him to bring him a woman who had a servant's heart, came from a godly family, and would be willing to leave her family to follow him. This expectation for Isaac's wife sounds like what Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 10:37-39. "Anyone who loves his father and mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."
 
Eliezer was able to see Rebekah's servant heart when he met her at the well. Not only did she give him a drink, but she also offered to water his camels. Imagine how long it took her to draw water for ten thirsty camels! Next, her brother Laban came to the well and invited Eliezer to bring his camels to their home. As food was being prepared and set before him, Eliezer insisted on telling Rebekah's family the reason for his journey. They agreed that she should go back to Abraham's son. Rebekah sealed the deal when she agreed to go and said, "I will go." (Genesis 24:58)
 
Rebekah was sent off with a family blessing. "Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess the gates of their enemies." (Genesis 24:60) This would not be an easy journey for Rebekah. I read that she would have had to travel about 600 miles on a camel. She left her place of comfort to be tested in the hot, dry desert. During the journey, Eliezer, her Holy Spirit, helped to prepare her for her commitment to Isaac, her bridegroom. Once Rebekah made her commitment to Isaac, she would have another wilderness to traverse—the wilderness of barrenness. Isaac was sixty years old before she gave birth to twins. It was Rebekah's faith that sustained her until the promise of her family blessing was realized.
 
All of us must go through wilderness seasons in our lives. God will use these seasons to develop our character and to teach us how to overcome the giants that war against our souls. It is vital that we keep our eyes on the Lord and remember the promises that He has given to us. He has planned every portion of our wilderness journey, knows what we are experiencing, and what we need to move through it. The Lord will teach us how to pursue His heart and follow Him no matter what the cost. There is an end to every wilderness, and God wants us to exit it leaning on Him, our Beloved, not leaning on our own understanding. (Song of Solomon 8:5)

​The Hebrew month we enter tonight is called Elul. This sixth month is meant to be a time for introspection before the High Holy Days begin. The Jews use this time as one of repentance for the wrongs done to others. The Hebrew letters of Elul (Aleph, Lamed, Vav, Lamed) are an acronym for "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine." (Song of Solomon 6:3) Elul is meant to be a time of recommitting to our relationship with God. Some people called Elul the "Jewish Lent." This season is called Teshuvah which means repentance and returning to God. According to Jewish tradition, Elul is the time when Moses was on Mount Sinai preparing to receive the second set of tablets.
 
The origin of the word Elul is linked to the Akkadian word for harvest. However, Elul is also related to the Aramaic word, "El," which means "to search" or "to examine," highlighting the introspective nature of the month. We are called to deepen our relationship with God during Elul. Some Jews will blow their shofars daily (except on the Sabbath) as a reminder that we are in the month of repentance. It is customary to read Psalm 27 twice daily (morning and evening) from Elul 1 until Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles). The Psalm is meant to give the reader peace in their souls as they repent.
 
During Elul, it is said that the King comes out to the field and can be approached by anyone. It is a time when there is divine closeness like no other time of the year, and an ideal time to deepen our relationship with the Lord. The King's accessibility is a great time of excitement. The definition of accessibility is "the quality of being at hand when needed," or in other words, He is available and easily approachable because all barriers are removed.
 
Jesus is a perfect example of the King coming into the field. He set aside His royal robes so that He could come to earth and commune with us. As it says in John 1:14, "The Word became flesh and made HIs dwelling among us." Jesus lived in a tent of mortal flesh so that He could manifest God's goodness to us. While on earth, Jesus chose twelve disciples who had intimate connection with Him for three years. During this time, He poured into them and taught them how to live according to God's Word. In His prayer to His Father in John 17, Jesus asked that His disciples would be sanctified by God's truth. Jesus came to earth so that the life of God would flow through mankind and that our fellowship with God would be restored.
 
The King came to earth to unite man and God through salvation. The King is in the field to bring us "life and life abundantly." (John 10:10) For the Christian who has pursued the King, every month is like the month of Elul. He makes Himself available to us because He desires intimacy with us more than we do with Him. However, we can use this month of Elul as a reminder of the King's amazing love for us.

​These are perilous times that we live in. So many around the world are facing extraordinary trauma along with physical needs. The disciples asked Jesus, "What will be the sign of Your coming and the end of the age?" He told them, "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famine and earthquakes in various places. All are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the world as a testimony of all nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:3-14)
 
These verses sound like a description of our times; however, much still needs to be accomplished for the end to come. Primarily, there is an ocean of people who need to hear the gospel of Christ. The Lord's desire is that all humankind be saved so that they can live with Him for eternity. We play a part in the accomplishment of the Lord's end game. As it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing." Not only are we to do this, but we are to follow the advice in 1 Timothy 2:1-3. "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Savior who wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
 
Paul's advice to the believers at the church in Thessalonica and to Timothy as he ministered to the church in Ephesus is for us. No matter how we feel about the leaders of our country, the mandate remains: Pray for them! Mike Huckabee, Ambassador to Israel, recently sent a message of encouragement to President Trump that bears repeating: "Mr. President, God spared you in Butler, PA, to be the most consequential President in a century—maybe ever. The decisions on your shoulders I would not want to be made by anyone else. You have many voices speaking to you, Sir, but there is only ONE voice that matters. HIS voice. I am your appointed servant in this land and am available for you, but I do not try to get in your presence often because I trust your instincts. No president in my lifetime has been in a position like yours. Not since Truman in 1945. I don't reach out to persuade you. Only to encourage you. I believe you will hear from heaven and that voice is far more important than mine or ANYONE else's. You sent me to Israel to be your eyes, ears, and voice and to make sure our flag flies above our embassy. My job is to be the last one to leave. I will not abandon this post. Our flag will NOT come down! You did not seek this moment. This moment sought YOU! It is my honor to serve you!" I am sure that Mike Huckabee realizes the pressure that is on our president and desired to point him in the right direction. The decisions that President Trump must make will not only impact us but the world around us.
 
Praise God that the Holy Spirit is with us to remind us that we are supernaturally empowered to walk in peace. And as it says in James 1:5, we should ask God for wisdom because the "wisdom that comes from God is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." (James 3:17) As we pray, we must remember the innocent people who are caught in the crosshairs of the battle between Israel and Iran. Ask the Lord to have mercy on them. Pray that God will give victory to the righteous and will take down the evil principalities and powers over the Middle East. We must recognize that President Trump has made and continues to make extremely critical decision about how the United States will help Israel. He and his team need the wisdom of God for ongoing plans on how to engage on the world stage. We want God's will to be done and His Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. When this is done, the door for revival will be opened in the Middle East and around the world.

​What is the central issue of our warfare with the demonic realm? This question can be answered with another question: "Whom will you worship?" Will we be faithful to worship the one true God or will we allow Satan's distractions, diversions, and attacks to pull us toward him and his way of life? Let us be reminded that we were created to have fellowship with the Lord, so we were made in His image. (Genesis 1:27) All of us were designed to have intimacy with God and as His image bearers we were given specific characteristics. A footnote to Genesis 1:26 and 27 in The Passion Translation defines God's image in us like this: "It includes personality, the capacity for worship, the ability to make moral decisions, and the ability to reflect God.”
 
We are three weeks away from Passover. If we looked back in history, we would find Moses and Aaron trying to convince Pharaoh to release the children of Israel. God instructed Moses to say to Pharaoh, "The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: 'Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert...’" (Exodus 7:16) Why would God want to take His people into the wilderness for this purpose? Perhaps God's desire was to teach His children what true worship looks like. It is true worship that protects us from the enemy of our souls. The Israelites would have a long journey to the Promised Land, one fraught with difficulties and enemy attacks. The soul that is not protected by true worship of the Lord is prime territory for the enemy. True worship of God, not based on circumstances, sets up a barrier against the demonic and gives us victory in warfare.
 
As we draw closer to end times, we can count on increasing warfare. What or who will we worship during these times? Worship is a part of the culture of heaven, and it is God's desire, as expressed in the prayer taught to the disciples, that His "will would be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) Revelation 7:11,12 describes what takes place in heaven. "All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God saying: 'Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!'" But there is a worship that blesses God more than what comes from thousands of angelic hosts. It comes from earth through those who are faithful to worship the Lord amid trials, tribulations, and suffering. When our spirits worship God during our battles, we give God pleasure, and He is drawn toward us.
 
The purity of our worship will dictate its fragrance. I have long desired to have a deeper understanding of the verse in John 4:23. "Yet a time is coming and has now come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." May I suggest that when we give God glory in the middle of pain and suffering, our love comes forth as true worship. We must look at every difficulty as an opportunity to become the kind of worshipers God desires.

Humility is the virtue that attracts God's transforming grace according to Pastor Francis Frangipane. Scripture makes it clear, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6) If we want to become more Christlike, we must allow humility to do its work, because it is the basis for transformation. Meekness or humility must become a way of life.
 
The root of all sin comes from pride. We must ask ourselves, "What spirit am I rooted in, pride or humility?" Pride is our fleshly nature, and Satan is all about going after it! He is very familiar with pride, because this is the sin that reared its ugly head in him when he lived in heaven and led to him being expelled. Isaiah 14:12-15 describes Satan's fall:  "How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthrone on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the top of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit." Ever since his fall, Satan's goal has been to neutralize our walk with God. He wants to make us ineffective for the Kingdom of God. Keeping this in mind will help us to surrender our souls to the Lord.
 
There are two verses in the Beatitudes that address our need for humility. "Blessed are the poor in spirit (those who recognize their need for constant help from God) for theirs is the kingdom of heaven...Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:2, 5) Jesus is our source of humility and holiness. Our goal while we are on earth should be to become more like Him. It is pride that gives us hard hearts so that we cannot see our needs. If we are full of self, we cannot be filled with God. That is why, "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him." (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)
 
Jesus uses the parable of the wheat and tares to teach His listeners about two types of people who co-exist. The enemy comes to sow tares in the Lord's field of wheat. Jesus, representing the farmer, explains that the tares cannot be uprooted until harvest time because the wheat may be uprooted with them. Both must grow side by side. (Matthew 13:24-30)
 
The wheat represents the Believer whom God is growing in Christlike character, while the tares represent unbelievers. As the wheat and tares grow, it is difficult to discern the difference between them. Yet, one is producing grain in its head while the other is barren. It is through the tares that the wheat learns how to live in a Christlike way. These godly behaviors include forgiveness, compassion for others, humility, and love. At harvest time, when the Lord looks at His field, it becomes evident who is humble. The head of the wheat, heavy with grain or the fruits of the Spirit, bows before its Creator while the tare stands straight with nothing to offer Him.
 
Psalm 25:9 says, "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way." Our goal in life should be to become like Christ. When we humble ourselves before Him, He guides us. Our prayer should be that we will grow into the full stature of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13) Humility is the key!

​A principle that is especially important to God but rarely talked about in the Church is called the "Principle of Firstfruits." What we say to God when we practice firstfruits giving is that we honor and worship Him, we have faith in Him, and we bless Him. The idea is that we are setting aside the first and best portion of what we have in gratitude to Him.
 
God introduced the principle of firstfruits to the children of Israel as they camped at Mount Sinai and after Moses met with Him to receive the Ten Commandments and other laws. He told them, "Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me...Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crop you sow in your field...Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord." (Exodus 23:14, 16, 19)
 
Monthly, the Israelites celebrate what they called Rosh Chodesh (The Head of the Month) or The New Moon Festival. Firstfruits offerings were an integral part of these celebrations. Not only did they set aside the firstfruits of their time to worship the Lord, but also the firstfruits of their possessions and crops. When King Hezekiah was arranging for worship contributions, he assigned priests and Levites to give thanks and sing praises. Second Chronicles 31:4 and 5 tells us what he did next: "He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion due the priests and Levites so they could devote themselves to the Law of the Lord. As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, oil, and honey, and all that the fields produced."
 
It seems to me that when we follow the principle of firstfruits we are showing God our hearts toward Him. Only the Lord is worthy of receiving our first and best offerings. What does this look like for us today? How do we acknowledge the one who provides for our sustenance and increase? For most of us firstfruits are no longer tied to fields and growing. Today it is all about our lives and sacrificing in a way that we put Him first in our lives. We must ask ourselves if we are giving the Lord our first and best in time, resources, and love. We must be intentional in what we do and how we do it.
 
Romans 11:16 says, "For if the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches." According to the Passion Translation footnotes, the firstfruit portion of the dough refers to Abraham and the patriarchs, whereas the batch of dough refers to those descended from them. Since the first "portion" was dedicated to God, the rest belongs to Him also and is considered consecrated to God's use. James 1:18 explains further: "He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all He created."  
 
With the New Year upon us, it is appropriate that we offer the Lord the firstfruits of our time and resources. Let's remember all the ways He has been faithful to us in the year 2024 and that as the God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, He will be faithful to us in 2025. Isn’t He  worthy of our worship?

​Similar but not the same are the words faith and trust. Let us see if we can discern the difference between the two of them. Faith is described beautifully in Hebrews 11:1. "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." (NLT) The prayer written by Paul in Ephesians 3:16 and 17 puts words to God's desire for us where faith is concerned. "I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." 
 
Faith comes from God. It is a state of belief that God is who He says He is. We believe that God sent His Son to die for us because of His love. Faith is a noun; it is something we possess. Henry Morris IV of The Institute for Creation Research wrote on July 29, 2016, "Faith in God is the confident belief that He is sovereign Creator of all things and that He is and will do what He claims." Romans 12:3 warns us "...think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you."  
 
Trust is an action that comes from faith. We trust in God because of His nature. While faith is a belief system, trust is an action. By acting on our faith our trust in God grows over time. When we decide to trust in someone or something we make a willful choice and take a deliberate action. Trust grows out of faith, and yet as we daily renew our trust in Jesus our faith also grows. Remember the man who asked Jesus to heal his son from the violent seizures that possessed him? Jesus responded, "'Anything is possible if a person believes.' The father instantly cried out, 'I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!'" (Mark 9:23, 24 - NLT) This father was asking Jesus to increase his faith and realized he had to trust his son's wellbeing to Jesus.
 
Let us look at some examples of people in the Bible who had faith in God and put that faith into action by demonstrating their trust. Genesis 6:9 says, "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God." He trusted God by taking the action of building the ark. Hebrews 11:7 puts it this way: "By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to receive his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith."
 
Hebrews 11:8 and 9 talks about the faith of Abraham:  "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, (action of trust) even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country..." Hebrews 11:17-19 talks about another astounding act of trust that Abraham took because of his faith in God. "By faith Abraham, when God tested him offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, 'It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.' Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death."
 
The bottom line is that we must grow our faith in God by demonstrating our trust in Him. Proverbs 3:5 and 6 says it perfectly: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Use your faith in God to take actions of trust and both your faith and trust in Him will grow.

​The Biblical feasts are called God's appointed times. The Hebrew word for a God appointment of a feast is "Moed." When Moses had appointments with God, he would meet Him at the "tent of meeting" or the "Ohel Moed." Thus, Rabbi Jason Sobel calls the Biblical feasts "a tent in time." On Wednesday night at sundown a new Hebrew year will be upon us, the year 5785, and this is a time to go to our “tents of meeting” to connect with God.
 
I believe that the Old Testament feasts have much to reveal to the Christian Church and that it would be to our benefit to study them. In doing so, we would see that the Jewish New Year is a significant time to meet with God. Here is what it says in Leviticus 23:24, 25. "Say to the Israelites: 'On the first day of the seventh month (Tishrei) you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the Lord by fire.'" The Jewish people believe that the world was created on this day and call it by the names Rosh Hashanah (Head of the Year) or Yom Teruah (The Day of Blowing).
 
The blowing of the shofar at the beginning of the year is a call to intimacy for God's people. It is time for those who love God to encounter Him and to prepare for the next sacred festival called Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. There are ten days in which to do this. These ten days are called "The Days of Awe." It is significant that on the two days of the New Year the shofar is blown 100 times on each day. This is a call for God's people to prepare for the year to come to remind us that God has made an everlasting covenant with us. One hundred is a significant number in that it stands for fullness in terms of a measure, reward, and recompense.
 
There is also a connection between the number 100 and Abraham and Isaac. On Rosh Hashanah the story of Abraham being called to sacrifice Isaac on Mt. Moriah is read. It is called the "Akedah" or the "binding" in Hebrew. Abraham was 100-years old when he climbed up the mountain with Isaac. His righteousness with God stands as an example to all of us. We should ask ourselves, "Do our human failures merit atonement?" The story of Abraham and Isaac points us to a deeper understanding of God's infinite mercy and grace. He sent us Jesus as our "ram in the thicket."
 
The blowing of the shofar is meant to be a reminder of the ram caught in the thicket as a sacrificial substitute. The horn of a ram is what is blown to herald the new year. God promised Abraham a blessing of abundance because of his obedience. That blessing was passed down through the generations. God said, "I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities or their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." (Genesis 22:17, 18) In Genesis 26:12 we see how Isaac benefited from this promise. "Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him." Today we are still reaping the benefit of this promise because we are Abraham’s descendants and have faith in the Lord.
 
The mercy or grace of God should hit home for us as we go into the new year 5785. Five is the number of grace and redemption, and this year we get a double portion. As we enter the new year, let us consider blessing God by worshiping Him for sending us a Savior.

Recently I finished reading South Carolina Senator Tim Scott's book, America, A Redemption Story. In a chapter titled, "Grit and Innovation" he describes several "average Americans” throughout history who refused to accept the world as it was as they pioneered their way through seemingly impossible circumstances." (Page 54) Throughout his book, Tim Scott encourages us to step out to be creative because our country is "brimming with opportunity."
 
One of the people Senator Scott highlights is John Wanamaker, who established a department store at the corner of Sixth and Market Street in Philadelphia. Originally, he called his store "Oak Hall" as Oak was the national tree of the United States. This tree is a symbol of strength and is "often associated with honor, nobility, and wisdom." (Page 49) Hall implied greatness and grandeur. In addition, the location of the store was adjacent to George Washington's presidential home. Wanamaker wanted his patrons to be aware of the history of our country. I admit that I took particular interest in this portion of Scott's book because my parents used to take our family to this store all throughout my childhood.
 
John Wanamaker's concept for his store was like none other before it. As a devout Christian, he believed that "if everyone was equal before God, prices should be equal too." (Page 50) Up until the opening of John's store, haggling and bargaining were a part of the shopping experience. By putting a price tag on the items for purchase, every shopper was treated fairly. His motto was, "One price and goods returnable." The sales industry was transformed by the John Wanamaker method of doing business.
 
May I suggest that Father God is our spiritual John Wanamaker. He sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the price for our salvation. As God’s children, we are separated from Him through our sin. His great love and compassion for us brought about the plan for His Son to become the atonement for our sins. As it says in Romans 3:23, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." To rectify this situation and satisfy the justice of God, all of us must be led to repentance. God's kindness is intended to lead us to repentance, it says in Romans 2:4. Jesus Christ shed His blood and died for us on a cross. His death was for every person on the face of the earth, no matter what sins were committed. But we must complete the transaction by accepting, through faith, what Jesus did and believing that He was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven.
 
Romans 3:30 reminds us that there is only one God who justifies both the Jew (circumcised) and Gentile (uncircumcised). All are justified by faith in Jesus Christ. It is said of Abraham, the father of all who believe, that his "faith was credited to him as righteousness." (Romans 4:9) Verse 13 expands on the details: "It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes through faith." Jesus paid the price once and for all time. "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification." (Romans 4:25)
 
Just like John Wanamaker, Father God has one price for all for salvation. His name is Jesus! Not only was He the “price tag,” but He is the one who paid the price for us. This is the bargain of a lifetime! How can we show our gratitude?