This is the end of the fifth year I have been writing.  I have committed myself to it like I have committed myself to brushing my teeth.  I'm going to do it.  I wonder what will happen to all of it.

Sunday, we discussed Jacob leaving Laban to go back to his homeland.  God had told him to go, but Jacob had left his home because he had tricked his father Isaac, and his brother Esau.  Jacob's mother Rebecca had helped him with his chicanery.

Jacob naturally was fearful.  He figured that Esau would kill him since Jacob had tricked Esau out of the birthright.  But God said "Go."  So he took all his cattle, goats, and sheep, along with his family and headed home.

One of the most difficult parts of being a Christian is knowing what you should do, but not knowing the outcome.  If you can know what it going to happen "next" you can make plans to deal with it.  But God doesn't seem to work that way.  He requires trust.  There are times that we just have to do what is right, plod ahead, and deal with it when we get there.

We are given the stories in the Old Testament to remind us that the great leaders were just humans, like us.

Moses said, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?"  Exodus 3:11.  And later, "...they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice...they will say, The Lord has not appeared to you."

But God said, "Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."

We are starting a new year.  Each year, we think of resolutions.  We know we should become better people, we should grow in the faith.  We should resolve to change something in our lives.  We should become more like Christ.  But it takes resolve.  Resolve.  That's the hard part.  Which is almost impossible without dependance on God.  If you decide to resolve something, do it for the year, not for the day.  Because if you fail on a day, you might give up.  Keep going for the year.