SPIRITUAL LESSONS FOR THE NEW YEAR!
Happy New Year! I pray that you, your family members, and all of us will have a blessed and prosperous 2021. I am certain that our good Lord will continue to guide and protect us by sending His holy and powerful angels to hover over all of us with their wings of protection during this new year.
2020 is part of history now, and we are already on January 9 of this new year. The positive thing about it is that we are much closer to the day when Jesus will come to rescue His faithful children to be with Him, forever! What a day that will be!
On “Christmas” day I received a very sad message. I was informed of the passing of Sis. Charlotte Wixwat, the beloved mother of our former Treasurer, Michael Wixwat, that day. Besides being a very hard situation for the whole family, something happened on that day that brought much peace and comfort to the whole Wixwat family. Sis. Charlotte woke up normally on that day, had a good breakfast with her husband, Bro. Martin Wixwat, and they had their devotional time together. After that she mentioned to him that she was certain that the Lord would call her to her earthly rest on that day. The couple prayed together and recommitted their lives to God. A few hours later, Bro. Martin noticed that the house was very silent and looked for his wife. But she had quietly and peacefully rested in the arms of her Saviour. Wow! It was a big shock for him especially after being married to Sis. Charlotte for over 60 years. This kind of “departure” is very traumatic for every family member who stays behind. However, Bro. Martin, despite the hurt caused by the loss of his beloved wife, was comforted with the promise that one day, very soon, he will meet her again to never have to say goodbye to her! (Rev. 21:1-5; John 14:1-3)
There two spiritual lessons that all of us can take from this unhappy event:
1 – We all know that one day we will die. While we are on this side of God’s universe and still suffering the consequences of sin, it is inevitable that our “day” will arrive, sooner or later. So, we need to be at peace and place our lives in the hands of our beloved Heavenly Father, daily.
2 – Unfortunately, not everyone will have the same experience that Sis. Charlotte had. She was firmly impressed (by the Lord) that “her day” had come. The lesson? As the Psalmist said, “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12) We do not know when our time will come.
I will be turning 60 years old in April. Where did all those years go??? I have lived long enough to know and understand that life is so precious but very fragile…. Many times we take this greatest asset of life that God has given to us so much for granted that we tend to forget that it is just like a vapor! So, during this new year, I would like to propose to you some resolutions:
1 – Let’s live every day as it were the last day of our lives. May our thoughts, words, attitude, and actions reflect the glory of God, the character of Christ as we invite to Holy Spirit to lead us to God’s throne in everything that we do.
2 – I invite you to “invest” time in prayer, study of God’s Word, and attend every spiritual meeting of our church – in person or Zoom. We become stronger when we gather together to receive the inspiration that God provides to us through His servants – pastors, young or more experienced lay members, children, etc. We ought to pray and support all who are commissioned by God to bring us His message! When asked “When should we go to church?”, a good friend of mine once replied, “Every time its doors are open!”
3 – As “Prayer is the life of the soul” (EGW, Ed. 258), I would kindly suggest that we not only dedicate more time for private devotion and prayer this year, but also find a prayer partner with whom we can grow spiritually and encourage each other.
4 – Life is too short! Many a times beautiful speeches with kind words are made, amazing poems are written and recited, and “breath-taking” flower arrangements are brought to people only when they are in a casket! If there is something that needs to be fixed between us and someone else, let’s take the time to do it now. My family and I have adopted a policy at home to never leave the house or go out the doors with a heavy heart against each other. The reality is that it could potentially be the last time that we saw each other.
5 – Finally, let’s do our secular daily work diligently, fulfill the Great Commission given to us by Jesus wholeheartedly, and live our lives as if Jesus would come within the next second!
Please find below the link to our first BC Conference’s video for this year. It presents a heart-touching testimony about the “Power of Prayer”. May we continue this year on our knees!
Wesley – “The Power of Prayer” from British Columbia Adventist on Vimeo.
Happy Sabbath!
In His Service,
Wesley Torres
President
