1 I WILL lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.Psalm 121—A Song of degrees (KJV)
Years come and go. And, the older you get, the faster they seem to speed by. Every year that passes we experience changes all around us that are inevitable. The world changes every year as it turns on its axis one more time. And though all of the changes are unavoidable, there is ONE who never changes. Thankfully, He is the God of the universe—He is Alpha and He is Omega, He is the same yesterday, today and forever! He doesn’t leave us and He doesn’t forsake us. Our natural bodies may have to stop and rest here or there, but our Lord requires no slumber, He requires no rest, He is life and He needs no rejuvenation to carry on. It is good, as we start a new calendar year, to remember the scriptures from above—He will be there and go with us every day.
Below is an excerpt from Bishop M.A. Tomlinson’s message in the July 1982 issue of the White Wing Messenger. It reads:
“Our work in the Church seem to have a way of eventually settling into pretty well-defined patterns which can be followed rather routinely. A sense of commitment and dedication prompts us to be faithful to our assignments. While such faithfulness is commendable, there is the danger of pursuing our work in a mechanical sort of way with an absence of real compassion for people which spiritual work demands.
We can even become very zealous for certain programs which have genuine merit, but people can become caught up with zeal for worthwhile institutions and programs while at the same time possessing little compassion for the people with whom they are associating every day.
Our Master provides for us the perfect Example in the area of spiritual service. He realized He had a mission to accomplish, a work to do: ‘Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work’ (John 4:34). His work, however, was not something He separated from ministering daily to individuals having needs. Contrary to the way His disciples seem to have felt, these individuals were not an intrusion into His schedule. They became part of His schedule.
His attitude toward people can be attributed to His great compassion for them. Lacking this same compassion we will fail miserably in the work to which we have been sent.”
As we begin this new year and look forward to the work that is before, I would encourage us to remember the Holy Ghost and look to Him for our direction this year. We may grow weary or anxious as we labor, but He doesn’t and He will give us the strength for every work. May we remember to love one another and have compassion as we labor faithfully for Christ and His Church.
