“If you have not already done so, you need to set some targets and plan for what you want to achieve over the next year. The targets should be challenging, but achievable,” I am told in our local paper, The Northland Age, Thursday, January 21, 2016, on page two.

I am asking myself now:

A.  WHAT ARE MY TARGETS? (2016)

a. Reading the Bible from cover to cover, beginning with Genesis to Revelation, every word.

TARGET

b. Reading from a devotional book every morning.

c. Telling people about what the Lord has done in my life, when the Lord leads me to do so.

d. Exercise.

e. Reading as many good books as I am able to.

B.  WHAT HAVE I PLANNED FOR WHAT I WANT TO ACHIEVE DURING 2016?

a. I have planned to read at least one chapter every morning. (A/a)

b. I have several devotional treasuries. (A/b)

c. Walking a certain amount of km every day. (A/d)

C.  ARE THE TARGETS CHALLENGING?

The goals are certainly challenging.

D.  ARE THEY ACHIEVABLE?

But they are achievable.

Yes, I have set already some targets, but I am now encouraged to set more.

THE CROSS

“Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high,

Psalm 113:5-9

Intr.:

who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?

a.  He raises the poor from the dust and

b.  lifts the needy from the ash heap;

c.  he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people.

d.  He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children.

End:

Praise the LORD.”

When reading “Protected by First Security,” protected by the Lord Jesus Christ came to my mind.

Who are those watched over by the LORD? (Psalm 121:5)

“the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, …” (Psalm 1:6)

WHO ARE THE RIGHTEOUS?

“First Security”

The righteous are those people, who in Jesus, the righteous, have been accepted by God.

“The LORD watches over all who love him, …” (Psalm 145:20)

WHO ARE THOSE WHO LOVE THE LORD?

Obeying the teaching and obeying the commands of the LORD, shows that we love him. (John 14:21 and 23)

In order to do that it is obvious that we must read the Bible.

The wicked he will destroy and the way of the wicked will perish. (Psalm 1:6 and Psalm 145:20)

And let us remember that the BIble says in Psalm 127:1:

“Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.”

Seeing “SOJOURNIES” written on the camper van reminded me that all of us are sojourners.

In his book Licht vom unerschoepften Lichte Pastor Wilhelm Busch is categorising the sojourners into four groups:

SOJOURN MEANS A TEMPORARY STAY

Group ONE

There are those who march cheerful and are happy.

They don’t know yet about the hot roads in the middle of the day. They don’t know yet about the dark nights of sorrow.

Group TWO

There are others who are defiant and are determined.

They have decided no matter what happens to go “their” way.

Group THREE

And there are those who are tired and are dragging themselves along.

Group FOUR

And then there are those who don’t think very much.

That is the majority. They are going the same path everybody else goes. And you run into them everywhere.

No, I am not going to ask you to which group you belong.

But …

Do you know that you are on your journey to ETERNITY?

Do you know that you are a sojourner? To sojourn means to stay temporarily at a place.

Please read more posts on this blog.

A beautiful Flower

“Die Hauptsache ist, dass die Hauptsache die Hauptsache bleibt,” hat Peter Lord gesagt, und so fing das email an, das ich vor nicht langer Zeit erhielt.

Was ist denn nun eigentlich die Hauptsache?

Es is mir eine Freude zu schreiben, was fuer mich die Hauptsache ist.

Ist WEISHEIT  die Hauptsache?

DER PREDIGER SALOMO, ein Buch in der Bibel, sagt, dass Weisheit bedeutungslos ist.

Ist VERGNUEGEN die Hauptsache?

Lies bitte nach, was DER PREDIGER SALOMO sagt.

Ist ARBEIT die Hauptsache?

Ist MACHT die Hauptsache?

Ist es REICHTUM?

Ist RELIGION die Hauptsache?

DIE HAUPTSACHE IST GOTT ZU FUERCHTEN UND SEINE GEBOTE ZU HALTEN.

Weisheit, Vergnuegen, Arbeit, Macht, Reichtum und Religion, sind wertvoll, aber all das hat nur Ewigkeitswert, wenn der Herr der Mittelpunkt ist.

THE CROSS

“‘You can settle among us;

Genesis 34:10

Intr.:

the land is open to you.

a. Live in it,

b.  trade in it, and

c.  acquire property in it.'”

End:

Flowers at Lake Taupo

“I MYSELF WILL HELP YOU, DECLARES THE LORD.” – Isaiah 41:14

We are lacking something. And that is peace. Our souls are longing for peace.

In his book Licht vom unerschoepften Lichte Pastor Wilhelm Busch is writing about a German emperor who ruled when Martin Luther lived.

At the height of his reign the emperor gave everything up and entered the monastery of St. Just. Why did he do that? Everybody asked that question.

The power and the glory of this world could not give him what he was looking for. His heart was searching for peace.

Kaiser Karl V was the emperor.

Pastor Busch is also mentioning someone else.

This poet had riches, beauty and the pleasures of the world, and he was famous.

But this is what he said: He said that he was tired of everything. He asked, “What is the purpose of all the pain and pleasure?” He continued, “Sweet peace come into my heart.”

He had everything except peace.

His name was Goethe.

In John 20:19 the Lord Jesus Christ says, “PEACE BE WITH YOU!”

Did Kaiser Karl V and Goethe find the peace they were longing for? I do not know.