Notes for this post gleaned from the “Free Online Encyclopedia.”

From Christmas 1966 until Christmas 1979 I worked in Thailand as a missionary, telling the people about the Lord Jesus Christ.

I live now in New Zealand in Kaitaia, and on our recent trip back from Kerikeri to Kaitaia we passed the Chang Siam Thai restaurant in Waipapa.

After coming back from the trip I opened one of our local papers (Northern News, December 5, 2012) and read about the celebration of Loi Krathong in the restaurant with many many people.

That reminded me of my time in Thailand.

Loi Krathong is held on the evening of the full moon of the 12th lunar month. That is October-November in the Western Calendar.

I used to live in TAK in Thailand for some  time and the river was not very far. Little boats, made from banana-leaves or paper were launched on the river Bing and floated away. Inside the boat was a small coin, a lighted candle, a flower and joss sticks. The Thai word for to float is loi and the Thai word for bowl is Krathong.

One legend linked to the origin of Loi Krathong is to appease the Mother of  Water. Thankfulness is expressed once a year and the sins of the past year are washed away. In the newspaper article mentioned earlier I am reading that people are floating their troubles away in the boats. Forgiveness is also asked for ways that were not thought out well. The coins in the boats  are meant as tokens to ask forgiveness.

People in Thailand see the need to wash away their sins and the need to ask for forgiveness.

That’s why the missionaries are there to point them to the Lord Jesus Christ. When John saw Jesus coming toward him he said:

“LOOK, THE LAMB OF GOD, WHO TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD!”

“Great gift Ideas,” I am reading on the posters. You can see the posters in the shop window of one of our big shops here in town. (Farmers your Christmas store) Another shop here in Kaitaia advertises “Christmas Gifts from $10”.

Great gifts and  gifts from $10.

I want to tell you about a FREE gift. It is the gift of Salvation. This is what Billy Graham is writing about Salvation in one of his books: “Salvation is Free, Not Cheap.” (UNTO THE HILLS)

SALVATION IS THE FREE GIFT OF GOD FOR US UNDESERVING SINNERS.

God is a righteous God

But God is acting in GRACE towards us. Grace is unmerited love and favor of God toward us.

We are undeserving sinners.

Salvation comes to us  by trusting in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. That happens by the gift of faith. The Lord has redeemed us by his death. The Lord has justified us by his resurrection.

God, for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ, justifies us, the unmeriting sinners. That means that God reckons to us the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ and regards us as if we had never sinned. What a gift!!

This is what we are reading about the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior in Luke chapter two in the verses ten and eleven: “‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for ALL people. Today in the town of David a Savior is born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, OUR SAVIOR, IS THE GREATEST GIFT.

“The 100 best books of 2012,” says a poster at our Central Dairy here in Kaitaia, in the north of New Zealand.

Our local libray (Te Ahu Centre)

I am wondering straight away if the BIBLE is one of the books.

The poster is an enlargement of the front page of the NEW ZEALAND LISTENER. (December 8-14 2012)

The magazine is now in my possession and I am reading the article on page 30. There it says also, “Books & Culture editor Guy Somerset & the Listener’s team of reviewers on the year’s top reads.”

The 100 books are neatly listed under categories:

 Novels – Short Stories – Poetry – Essays – Memoir, Autobiography, Biography & Letters – History – Science – Art  & Photography – Music – Miscellaneous.

I am having a good look through the list, but I cannot find the BIBLE, “the book of books”. And I think  I made a thorough search. If I did not, please tell me! 

I have read many books during the year 2012, but the top read for me was the Bible, is the Bible and will always be the BIBLE! If you ask me why the BIBLE is my top read, the answer is: “HEAVEN AND EARTH WILL PASS AWAY, BUT MY WORDS WILL NEVER PASS AWAY.” (Matthew 24:35)

“But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. ” James 1:10

 “‘All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are like grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.'” –  Isaiah  40:6,7,8

“‘As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.” – Psalm 103:15

In a letter from our Member of Parliament I am reading that an electorate MP is also acknowledging people celebrating milestones.

TODAY IS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012 , AND I AM CELEBRATING A MILESTONE.

Today I finished reading the BIBLE from cover to cover. I started at the beginning of this year.

I am writing this not to be acknowledged by our MP or by anybody else, but I am writing this to encourage you to read the BIBLE from cover to cover just as you read any other book.

“Want to live life to the Max?” asks a health advertising feature in an old Reader’s Digest. (November 2007)

“People who tell me to live life to the fullest have obviously never seen my pay cheque.” I am reading that under “On the Lighter Side” in the COFFEE NEWS. (Vol 140:4)

We are not only asked if we want to live our life to the full, but we are also told to live our life to the fullest.

Is there anyone living on the earth at the present time who does not want to live his or her life to the fullest? I doubt it very much. All of us want to live our lives to the fullest!

Where are we going to live our life to the fullest?

Are we going to the pharmacy to buy a “natural support for a healthy cardiovascular system”?  Are we going to work harder to earn more money?

What are we going to do?

I am going to the Lord Jesus Christ.The Lord Jesus Christ says:

“I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE, …” (John 10:10)

The Lord Jesus Christ says also:

” …, AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL.” (John 10:10)

But the Lord Jesus Christ says also:

“YOU DILIGENTLY STUDY THE SCRIPTURES BECAUSE YOU THINK  THAT BY THEM YOU POSSESS ETERNAL LIFE. THESE ARE THE SCRIPTURES THAT TESTIFY ABOUT ME , YET YOU REFUSE TO COME TO ME TO HAVE LIFE.” (John 5:39,40)

Please don’t belong to those who refuse to come to the Lord Jesus Christ!