Happy New Year!

All Things New

Dr. Kenneth C. Hill

Bible Reading:  2 Corinthians 5:14 - 21

 

Bible Text:   “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”   2 Corinthians 5:17

 

What a wonderful truth we discover in this passage of God’s Word! 

 

No longer must we be bound with the fetters of sins committed in the distant past.  No more will we be shackled by the terrors of the memory of past deeds.  It is impossible to be burdened by the past if we are followers of Christ Jesus.

 

The words are plain and simple.  If you are in Christ then you are a new creature.  You, as a follower of Christ, have become something totally different.  You are a new creation.  You have been changed from a sinner to a saint, from a vagabond seeking shelter from the difficulties of life to a child of God who is a home with the Heavenly Father and under His protection.

 

Further, all of the old things are gone, completely gone.  And we have all things that are new.  These new things in our life are without the stain of sin. 

 

When we place our faith in Christ Jesus and follow Him, we are freed from the past and are become new creatures of God’s grace. 

 

Christ makes saints of sinners.

God's Gift

God’s Gift

Bible Reading: Matthew 1:18 - 25

Bible Text: Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable (indescribable) gift. 2 Corinthians 9:15

The shepherds in the hills around Bethlehem were told the news by the angels. Mary and Joseph cared for the infant Christ in the stable. The shepherds visited and then left them rejoicing and telling everyone about the Christ Child. Mary kept all these things in her heart.

For many that is the story of Christmas. But it does not end there.

Christ Jesus, the very Son of Almighty God, was sent to this earth as a baby to be the perfect sacrifice for our sin. He came to die for you and for me so we could be forgiven and have a relationship with God the Father through God the Son, Jesus Christ.

In 2 Corinthians this is what the Apostle Paul was writing about when he gave thanks to God for the gift that was without comprehension. The greatest gift ever given is Christ Jesus.

Have you received the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ?

"Hark, now hear the angels sing,
A newborn King today,
And man will live forevermore,
Because of Christmas day."
- Jester Joseph Hairston

Christmas Is The Time

Christmas Is The Time
Christmas is the time to think
Of loved ones far and near,
It's the time we get in touch
with all that we hold dear.

Christmas is the time we learn
The price God paid to save us.
Christ was His dear Christmas gift
that in His love He gave us.

This is the time to thank our Lord
for His "amazing grace".
For shedding his own precious blood
And dying in our place.

Christmas is the time to pray
for "peace on earth goodwill toward men",
the world is trembling in its fear,
We pray for Christ to come again.

Christmas is the time to say,
fear not, God has a plan,
He's Creator, Sovereign King
and he controls the ways of man.

Oh, I can't think of Christmas time
without remembering you,
so have a blessed Christmas
and a happy New Year too.

By Mary Z. McHenry
Ron/Barbara Winter
via George Haynes

Senate Confirms Honorable to FERC

Senate Confirms Honorable to FERC

The U.S. Senate has confirmed the nomination of Colette Honorable to join the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Honorable, chairman of the Arkansas Public Service Commission since 2011 and the former president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, will serve out the remainder of a term that ends in June 2017.

FERC Chairman Cheryl A. LaFleur congratulated Honorable on her confirmation:

“Colette brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the important issues we are facing. She and I worked together closely during her time as the President of NARUC, and I very much look forward to continuing that strong relationship when she joins the Commission.”

EXODUS MOVIE REVIEW

By Ray Comfort

www.livingwaters.com

EXODUS MOVIE REVIEW

I said that I would bring you a review on the new “Exodus” movie. Today my friend Scotty told me he went and saw it with his wife last night. So I will give you his thoughts instead:

“I was sorry I watched it, because instead of lifting God high, it diminished Him. Atheist, Ridley Scott made the plagues logical rather than miraculous. God is depicted as a young boy, and he’s a brat. I was sorry that I paid money to support it.”

Scotty saved me from putting my money into the pockets of the blasphemous.

Colette Honorable FERC Hearing

 from David Bradley (December 4 2014) Daily GPI

 Senate Committee Signals Thumbs-Up to Honorable's FERC Nomination

Colette D. Honorable's nomination to become a commissioner at FERC received bipartisan support during a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Thursday, and members said they hoped to complete the process before the congressional session ends early next month.

"She will be an outstanding member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission...She's honest, she's fair, she listens, she works harder than anyone I've ever seen, and I just think she'll be a great commissioner," said Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR), who, along with Sen. John Boozman (R-AR), introduced Honorable's nomination to the committee. "Just by virtue to Senator Boozman sitting here with me, you see that she has across-the-board support in Arkansas."

President Obama nominated Honorable, chairman of the Arkansas Public Service Commission (PSC), to FERC in August (see Daily GPI, Aug. 29). If confirmed by the Senate, Honorable would replace John Norris, who resigned from FERC effective Aug. 20, nearly three years before his term was due to expire (see Daily GPI, Aug. 8).

Honorable became a PSC commissioner in 2007 and has been chairman since 2011. She also serves as chairman of the board and president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. Before going to the PSC, Honorable served as executive director of the Arkansas Workforce Investment Board in 2007 and worked for Arkansas' then-Attorney General Mike Beebe in various roles, including as his chief of staff. She received a bachelor's degree from Memphis State University and a law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

"If confirmed to serve at FERC, I would continue to build upon the work which I began several years ago in my beloved Arkansas, a place that has taught me so much: to do good, to listen to the opinions of others even when you don't agree, and to respect others and to serve the least of these," Honorable said. "This is an exciting time to work in the energy sector, but it is also a challenging time. I am up for this challenge."

Approval of Honorable's nomination by the committee seems certain, with most senators in attendance Thursday, representing both sides of the aisle, voicing their support.

"This is just a breath of fresh air because you're the first person that's been nominated to FERC that has truly had the experience to do the job that we're asking you to do," said Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV). "That's having regulatory experience, being recognized by your peers, having that expertise to bring immediately to something I think is very vulnerable, our grid system, and how we produced reliable, affordable and clean power in a balanced way. I appreciate that and look forward to your taking the reins."

Not present at the hearing was committee chairman Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), whose reelection campaign remains undecided nearly a month after the general election (see Daily GPI,Nov. 5). Landrieu will face Republican Bill Cassidy in a runoff Saturday. Both Landrieu and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), who chaired the hearing in her place, have said they support Honorable's nomination.

Consideration of Honorable's nomination had been delayed following the unexpected death of her husband in September (see Daily GPI, Sept. 11).