The Times are in His Hand
2023 is the time period the Lord has made (Ps.118:24). We will rejoice because the Lord has made it in keeping with His purposes and plans. It is a time period that we may not thoroughly understand nor have a complete grasp of. Yet, the times are in His hand (Ps.31:15). Throughout 2023 we will continue to rejoice because the all-wise God is not behind the times nor even trying to catch up. He has already stepped out into tomorrow and bids us come and partake in His worthy enterprise and we will engage His design with energy and expectation of the extraordinary. May the Lord grant you every enabling blessing for His Kingdom purposes in 2023. “So shall you know skillful and godly Wisdom to be thus to your life; if you find it, then shall there be a future and a reward, and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off.” (Prov.24:14, Amp)
Marty will be leading and speaking at KINGDOM CONGRESS 2023 at GRACE CHURCH WILLIS TX
MARCH 1-3, 2023
Celebrating a Date or a Person?
About this time of the year zealous religious folks seem to come out of the woodwork and attempt to rebuke others for “celebrating Christmas”, stating that it is a pagan holiday. After I posted a “Have a BlessedChristmas” message a couple of years ago on Facebook, one such person contacted me and presumptuously proceeded to lecture me on the subject. Well, the short version is that I don’t celebrate holidays, I celebrate Jesus Christ and His birth, life, words, death and resurrection each and every day of the calendar—I enjoy 365 celebrations each year! A person who attends church on Saturday once tried to lecture me that the rest of us worship on the wrong day. I allowed him to 
know that I worship seven days a week and wondered why he only emphasized one day of worship a week when Jesus is worthy of worship every day, all day long. Our Lord had problems with people in His days on earth who legalistically observed days and calendar events, yet their lives, morals and values were no better than the pagans who also carefully observed days and calendar events. The hope of the church is not a calendar event. The hope of the church, of all mankind and of all history is a Person, Jesus Christ. Have our calendar dates and observances made us more into the image of Christ, doing the redemptive works of Christ or has our daily personal relationship and devotion/prayer to Him benefited those we come in contact with 24/7/365? After that mean-spirited person finished attacking me, I sorta felt like I would rather spend the holiday season with those pagans who culturally celebrated the Christmas season than with them and their mean disposition (and their sad family). It is, after all, the season of lights and the season of good cheer and giving—all of which may be found in the Bible, especially giving: “For unto us a child is born, unto us A SON IS GIVEN.” (Isa.9:6); “For God so loved the world THAT HE GAVE His only begotten son’ (Jn.3:16). It would seem that loving and giving go hand in hand as exemplified by our heavenly Father.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Kathy, Melissa and I invite you to join us on Christmas Eve at 8:15pm Central Time for our annual family Christmas Eve Communion. We will be streaming live from our living room on Marty Gabler’s Facebook page reading the Word, singing, worshipping and taking communion. Join us live on Christmas Eve.
Within God’s Timing
May the Lord cover us, rescue us and keep us from involving ourselves with those who are not intending to operate within the timing of Him who sets the times and works His plans accordingly. May our Lord save us from those who do not desire HIS calendar and those who simply neglect concern over His times. My times are in His Hand and I will not put them in the hands of any other. We need HIM every hour. “My times are in your hand…” (Ps.31:15, NKJV) “Desperate, I throw myself on you: you are my God! Hour by hour I place my days in your hand, safe from the hands out to get me.” (Ps.31:14-15, Msg)
Meaning Of February
February means: “expiatory” (the means by which atonement is made). This is the month that many people, and certainly retail businesses, turn their thoughts toward what they label as “love.” So many posture themselves as doing something loving while it is an attempt to get something from the other person. But Jesus showed all mankind for all ages the true selfless act which is truly love: that a man lay down his life for his friends. He didn’t merely lay down His life for mankind but in an expiatory act, paid the price for our sins (Rom.5:6-15).
“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (1Jn.3:16, NKJV)
Dr. Don Crum will be sharing a fresh and course-setting word God has given him regarding the next two years in our nation at the SEEC Kingdom Conference March 5-7, 2014. [*No Fee]
He goes to Israel several times a year and will also be giving us an update on Israel and the Middle East.
Conference details: martygabler.com/ctk-conference/
martygabler 