La fin de ma lutte toute petite

This is going to sound cryptic, or get the idle speculating, but tant pis!

To any who prayed regarding the Christmas Day post, je vous remercie. During cathedral morning prayer, one line of The Lord's Prayer hit very hard:
"Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us."

And I went back to my months of conversations with my long gone-to-glory friend Matthew, and remembered the following passage:
Matthieu 18, 21-35.

God is so good!
To answer the prayer the willing spirit was praying even while the weak body kicked/screamed/threw tantrums/generally resisted.
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La fin de cette année

The close of this year has been rather calm to date. Well, apart from the back pain sustained since the weekend's cleaning activity. And the spiritual battle inferred above.

And now I have time to make some notes on the following..

..(TEN Reasons For) Why I Am Still A Christian

1. God has held me in the palm of His hand - something I've really noticed this year.

2. God has been a strength & refuge; an ever-present help in trouble.
[PSA. 46:1]

3. God has shown me such great mercy, new every morning, though I really deserve nothing good.

4. God has kept the big promises (e.g. upholding me with His righteous hand) as well as the small ones (e.g. supplying all I need acc. to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus).
[ISA. 41:10 & PHIL. 4:19]

5. God has a sure future for me in Christ, who is my life, & with whom I will appear in glory when He Himself appears.
[COL. 3:3ff]

6. God is at work in me for my eternal good.
[ROM. 8:28 & PHIL. 2:13]

7. God is a Father better than any other.

8. God loves not only me, but all the lost around me in this world that I feel so geographically incapable of helping; & He wants them to be saved even more than I do!
[1 TIM. 2:4 & JOHN 3:16]

9. God is just & fair, & the One who will judge everyone by the Man He has appointed - so I can wait for Him.
[ACTS 17:31]

10. God will be there (God will be there), God is everywhere (guitar, neow neow neow neow neow, neow neow, NEOW!!)**
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If I don't post again tomorrow, Happy New Year!

L/T.


{**SOURCE: Colin Buchanan, "God is everywhere", from album 10, 9, 8 God is great}