OUR DAILY BREAD : THE LONELY SEASON

[cimi]

TUESDAY JANUARY 5


THE LONELY SEASON

READ:
Ephesians 1:16
_____________________________________________________________________________
I have not stopped
giving thanks for
you, remembering
you in my prayers
_____________________________________________________________________________

Amid the pile of post-Christmas mail I discovered a treasure _a handmade Christmas card planted on repurposed yardstick. Simple watercolor strokes evoked a scene of wintry hills livened with evergreens. Centered at the bottom, framed by red-berried holly, was this hand-printed message:

Peace be with You!

The artist was a prisoner and a friend of mine. As I admired his handiwork, I realized I hadn't written to him in 2 years!

Long ago, another prisoner was neglected as he waited in prison. "Only Luke is with me," wrote the apostle Paul to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:11). "No one came to my support, but everyone deserted me" (v.16). Yet Paul found encouragement even in prison, and he wrote, "The Lord stood at my side and gave me strength" (v. 17). But surely Paul felt the lonely ache of abandonment.

On the back of that wonderful Christmas card my friend wrote, "May the peace and joy and hope and love brought about through the birth of Jesus be with you and yours." He signed it, "Your brother in Christ." I put the card on my wall as a reminder to pray for him. Then I wrote to him.

Throughout this coming year let's reach out to the loneliest of our brothers and sisters.

_____________Tim Gustafson

**What lonely people can I think of right now? Newcomers to town?
Prisoners? People in the hospital or in senior living centers?
What can I do, no matter how small, to reach out to them?
____________________________________________________________________________________
Reach out in friendship and encourage the lonely.

***********************Today's Bible Reading __ 2 Timothy 4:9-18*******************************

9 Do your best to come to me quickly, 10 for Demas,
because he loved this world, has deserted me and has
gone to Thessalonica. Crescent has gone to Galatia, and
Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark
and bing him with you, because he is helpful to me in my
ministry. 12 I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come,
bring the cloak that I left with carpus at Troas, and my scrolls,
especially the parchments.

14 Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm.
The Lord will repay him for what he has done. 15 You too
should be on your guard against him, because he strongly
opposed our message.

16 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but
everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17 But
the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that
through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all
the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's
mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and
will bing me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory
for ever and ever. Amen.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
The book of Timothy is believed to be Paul's
final letter, written from Rome as he was awaiting execution. The
clear sense of his impending death is seen in 2 Timothy 4:6: "For
I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time
for my departure is near." His tone is very different in his prison
letters (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon), where he is
under house arrest awaiting trial (SEE ACTS 28:30-31). This difference
of tone contributes to the view of many scholars that Paul
experienced two imprisonments__the first leading to trial and the
second (seen here) leading to execution. __Bill Crowder

And before i post this..is it just me, or are the writers NOT using capitals for He (God) and Him(God) anymore?
don't get it