ebenezers

During our staff meeting this week, we paused to remember and celebrate what God has done in and through our lives. Throughout history, God’s people have raised stones (ebenezers), building monuments to remind them of God’s goodness. “Thus far, the Lord has helped us” (1 Sam. 7) Here are some of the things we want remember and thank God for; good works He is doing in our team:

• "God’s faithfulness providing all we need...
• "Drawing us to greater dependency on Him through difficulty and disappointments...
• "Seeing Him at work in many lives around us who have little or no understanding of Jesus...
• "Character forming in our lives as we made every effort towards unity during the first months here...
• "Remembering how we pressed forward in the face of discouragement...
• "Finding hope in the promise of His word...
• "Deepening of faith and trust in Christ as the savior of the world...
• "Experiencing the joy of salvation with a new brother and sister from China...
• "Learning to re-articulate what it means to hope in Christ...
• "Experiencing the reality of sharing Christ with others...
• "Expanding our worldview...
• "Witnessing how Jesus transcends culture and language through love...
• "Seeing marriage for what God designed it to be...
• "Acknowledging the work of the Lord around us with students and neighbors...
• "Recognizing the favor He is providing us in places throughout the city...
• "Clearly seeing Him work through authentic love and friendship...
• "Watching our children thrive in a new environment; seeing their eyes opening to God’s global purposes...
• "Increasing our trust in the Lord; being confident our future is secure in Him...
• "Experiencing joy in refinement and in being humbled...
• "Walking in greater boldness to share the gospel...
• "Celebrating with people as they place their hope in Christ for the first time...
• "Experiencing unity as a team after choosing to make every effort to do so...
• "Recognizing God in the details of all He has provided us...
• "Relying upon Him to do what we cannot do...
• "Deepening my desire to know Him more...
• "Stripping me of false identities; counterfeit sources of hope...
• "Renewing my wonder with God...
• "Finding a new filter for childlike faith as I explain who Jesus is...
• "The privilege of living among so many unbelievers...
• "Increasing my burden and desire to speak the gospel...
• "Surrendering all that I am and all that I am not...
• "Watching walls come down...
• "Seeing how much God can do in just a few months...
• "Waiting to see what God is preparing...
• "Remembering what God was doing in our lives a year ago...
• "Finding great joy in obedience...
• "Seeking Him as my reward...
• "Experiencing the steadfast love of Christ...
• "Embracing the humility required to live and serve as a team...
• "Finding contentment in planting seeds...
• "Being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see...
• "The peace found in living from God’s unconditional love...
• "Trusting God in our circumstances; believing Him to work all things for good...

Set apart time in your own life to remember what God has done, embrace what He is doing in you. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate Christmas, the reality of Emmanuel... God With Us. In a season where so many people experience profound futility and loneliness, we are called to be people who know what it means to be rescued and loved by God.