The Kreider Connection
Racers For Christ
December, 2009 Newsletter
The rush and pace of today’s society can be downright exhausting. Especially this time of year. We sometimes need to just slow down and find some peace amid the hubbub, and what is more peaceful than a sleeping baby? They depend on their parents for everything and worry about nothing. This time of year we can find a peace as we think of the baby Jesus in the manger. It is comforting to think that He left heaven and came to earth just for our benefit. The problem is that many times we leave Him in the manger and miss the rest of the story. He not only came as a baby, but what He did in the 30 some years of His life has an eternal effect on our lives: He died on the cross to pay for our sins, raised from the dead and waits for us to join Him in heaven someday. He offers us His help in this life and a most glorious new life after this one is over.
So would you ever sit in the living room smelling the delicious fragrance of Christmas dinner cooking but refuse to join the feast? I know I wouldn’t miss the enjoyment of the delicious meal and fellowship with the others partaking. But all too often we do that with Jesus - we leave Him in the manger just a babe. Especially in times like these we need His help and strength to face the challenges of life. I am concerned for people I meet who are not absolutely sure of their standing with God. There is too much uncertainty in this world to be without Jesus. So if you attend a Christmas service will you admire the building and the decorations or actually worship Jesus and let His spirit replenish yours?
Enjoy the Christmas season and be blessed and replenished. Remember we love you but Jesus loves you more than anyone can! May your Christmas bring you a true peace and joy in the depth of your soul.
Glenn and Linda
976 Coyote Ave., Greenville, IL 62246
Phone: 618-292-6048
Email: kreiders@papadocs.com
Suggested steps to connect or reconnect and comfort your soul
1. Realize none of us are perfect, we all sin.
2. Ask God to forgive your sins.
3. Ask God to lead your life from here on and place your complete trust in Him.
4. Pray and read the Bible daily.
5. Be the best you can be for Jesus.
The sinner’s prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I believe that you died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I invite you to come into my heart and life. I want to trust you and follow you as Lord and Savior. In Jesus name amen.
The Promise:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
UPDATE: I have been blessed by your prayers and a wonderful medical staff. My surgery went so well that the greatest challenge is not doing more than I should. I am to take it easy for 6 weeks and that will be more difficult than the surgery!
Request: We would love to hear what blessed you most this season. Email us; Let us rejoice with you. Glenn and Linda
BE WILLING TO START SMALL
D. L. Moody became a spokesman for God and a changer of nations. But if you’d met him early in life you wouldn’t have thought it was possible. Although he was raised in church, he was spiritually ignorant. When he moved to Boston he began attending a Bible-preaching church. In April of 1855, a Sunday school teacher came to the shoe store where he worked and led him to Christ. A month later, when he applied to become a member of that church, it was clear that he knew nothing about the Bible. One of his Sunday school teachers later wrote, “I’ve never met anyone who seemed less likely to become a Christian of clear and decided views, much less fill any place of public usefulness.” So they asked him to take a year of Bible study. During his interview with the membership committee a year later, his answers were only slightly improved. He was barely literate and used atrocious grammar. Nobody on that church committee thought God would ever use him. But they were wrong. And the people who say you will never amount to anything for God are wrong too!
Every oak tree starts as an acorn. Jesus began in a stable but He didn’t stay there. David was a shepherd boy with a slingshot but he became Israel’s greatest king. Joseph was a prisoner but he became prime minister. Understand this: you are a seed capable of producing a harvest for God. So take all that you have and all that you are, place it into God’s hands and be willing to start small.
“Who despises the day of small things?” Zechariah 4:10
From “The Word For You Today” Daily Devotional