Have a HAPPY New Year! Really!!!
By Tom Shanklin
You’ve probably heard it a hundred times by now, but it bears repeating. Have a HAPPY New Year!
Once I told a man to be happy, and he replied that “happiness is over-rated.” His point, I suppose, was that what we need is Christian joy rather than superficial happiness based on the circumstances. I understand that, but I can’t help it. I admit it. I’m happy!
Besides, it’s biblical to be happy. The Bible says, “…happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.” Psalms 144:15, KJV. So it’s okay to be happy. I give you permission. Enjoy life! Enjoy God! Be happy!
I’m happy because:
- I’m saved and going to heaven.
- I have an ongoing, close personal relationship with the Almighty God that created the universe.
- I have the privilege of preaching the Happy Good News to people all around the world.
- I have a wonderful wife and family and friends like you who encourage me along the way.
I know life has it’s challenges, and believe me, I have had my share. I know that there is sadness, hurt and grief. But we have the answer to all that. His name is Jesus! He is a “very present help in time of trouble” and a “friend that sticks closer than a brother.” Yes, happy New Year! We now have an opportunity to serve our great and loving Lord for another year, and to be blessed by Him.
As I write this, Susan and I are preparing to set aside some time to seek the Lord for this coming New Year. We want to be in step with His plan and His purposes for our lives and ministry. I don’t know everything that God has planned for us in the New Year, but I know that the Holy Spirit keeps speaking to my heart about a new season of fruitfulness, new opportunities, and new open doors. In fact, it seems to me that God is always setting before us hope for the future a vision of progress. I believe He will be doing that even up to the time that we leave this earth and go to be with Him. I don’t expect that eternity will be boring or purposeless. There will be things to do, mountains to climb, universes to conquer perhaps. I don’t know exactly what it will be like, but I’m quite sure it will be “better by far” and “full of joy unspeakable.”
I’m looking forward to heaven, but while I’m here I want to do all I can to let people know about the joy of Christ. I want to preach the Happy Gospel, just like Jesus did! I want to let people know that there is no greater happiness than finding Jesus and following Him. Oh, praise God, that is what the New Year will find me doing, and I pray that for you as well. Let the joy of the Lord spill out of you to all you meet and let them know that there is a Savior who has changed your life.
We have already heard a report from our November mission to Nepal that 16 families have been added to the church in the village where we held our Healing Festival. We also have received word that the pastors who received the Nepali translation have been blessed by it and are requesting more copies of the book to use for training and encouraging their church members in a lifestyle of evangelism. I thank God for the good reports, and also for all the fruit that we may never hear about. Evangelism is worth it! Sharing the Gospel is never a lost cause, because His Word will not return void. We have prepared an 8-minute video on our last mission to Nepal. It’s available on DVD. Please use the enclosed reply form to request your free DVD.
It was with some reluctance on my part, but we made a decision to pull the plug on our radio outreach beginning in this new year. We have been on the air for four years. We have ministered on four stations in Minnesota and North Dakota and I praise God for it. Radio ministry is something that I have always enjoyed. But after much prayer and thought, we recognized that at least for now, our time and resources could be better invested in other areas of ministry. It’s a new time and a new season and its a time to explore new avenues of ministry.
One of the things that the Holy Spirit is putting on my heart is the next generation that is to continue to carry on work of the Gospel. So, we will be looking for ways to influence, train, encourage, learn from, and work together with the new generation of Christians and leaders to reach the world. I believe that the connection between the younger and older generations is strategic for the effectiveness of the work of God in the earth. And I believe that both the younger and the older have a responsibility to develop these cross-generational relationships for the glory of God. God does not want this new generation to start from scratch. He wants them to be able to build upon the shoulders of those that have gone before them. So, I encourage you as you read this to pray about what your part may be in enhancing these God-appointed, God-anointed connections between the generations.
I want you to know that you are partners with us in our hearts. We pray for you daily—for your health, your finances, and that you and all your loved ones will fulfill their destiny and be safe in the arms of Jesus throughout eternity.
Be blessed! Be happy! And enjoy every day!