Did you receive a special present this past Christmas? I did.

First, I received a brand-new electric toothbrush from my son. My daughter had shared that I was complaining that the toothbrush I was using stopped after less than two minutes. Now, I have a new one that operates very efficiently for five minutes. It works in the morning and then again in the evening just as if it were new again. How long it will continue is unknown but it certainly is pleasant to have it working well.

The second was a reminder that you and I have received a gift called the Bible. I listened during the holiday season to Dr. David Jeremiah speaking in his annual visit to New York City. He quoted some amazing facts regarding the Bible — its distribution numbers far exceeding any other book and its existence enduring despite efforts by enemies to destroy it.

Another amazing fact is that, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, every time we reread a familiar portion of Scripture, we learn something new again. I have often read from Isaiah 41. One of the first sermons that I preached many decades ago was based on today's verse. I stressed the four points: (1) new (2) sharp (3) threshing instrument, and (4) having teeth. Yet as I recently reread the portion, I realized the significant importance of "I will make thee". To me, this familiar portion was new again.

A most important difference between these two gifts is their warranty or guarantee. My electric toothbrush is still performing each time as if it were new again. But the company has warned that it has a limited time for such performance. We chuckle when we see the funny advertisement for the Energizer Bunny™ continuing to perform longer than other batteries. I'm sure that, as you read this, you can think of products or situations that will not perform as promised or hoped.

Contrast this fact with the guarantee stated in Isaiah 55.

Isaiah 55:11 – So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (KJV)

Now that's a guarantee that you and I can really count on. Every time we read our guidebook (the Bible) under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it becomes new again. Like me, you may falter by not reading the guidebook as regularly as you should. My new electric toothbrush will perform as it is currently only if I continue to use it faithfully twice a day for five minutes each time. That same principle certainly is true for our guidebook!

Prayer: Dear Father, we are so blessed by the gifts that You give us. Thank You especially for the Bible and the Holy Spirit guiding us while we strive to understand it, as You make it new again every time we read it. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

We spend much of our life making agreements with one another. Even babies and their mothers "agree" to share food and company. It is not surprising, therefore, that Jesus teaches how agreements should be made.

Over the years, I have counselled many young couples with the advice that a strong marriage is achieved with a strong triangle. The horizontal line consists of a durable bond joined equally by a male and female partner. In turn, both partners need a solid, unbroken relationship with God over all so that the triangle can withstand the many stresses that are daily encountered. A triangle like this needs work to be established and maintained.

My wife and I lived more than sixty years as a happily married couple. While we tried to preserve just such a strong triangle vertically, we quickly understood the difficulty in maintaining the 50/50 equal horizontal relationship involved.

We soon realized that we would come closer to meeting that goal with a 90/10 target. I had to spend 90 percent concerned about her and 10 percent on myself. In turn, my wife was always 90 percent concerned about me and 10 percent about herself.

Of course, we never achieved our ideal balance, but we certainly came closer to a 50/50 balance than we would have otherwise.

In any agreement, marital or otherwise, Jesus sets out the key to success at the end of today's passage: "together in my name". The horizontal bar of any agreement can be made successful if it is strongly connected at both ends vertically. Let's all try for such an objective!

Prayer: Dear God, help us learn how to make strong, successful agreements by willingly striving to adopt a 90/10 attitude. Most of all, may we realize that we must make agreements with a strong relationship with You through the leadership of Jesus as guided by the Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

We spend much of life communicating with others. To do so usually requires two willing participants. Often, it requires spoken words, as referenced in today's Scripture passage.

I am always intrigued by the fact that Jesus frequently talked about little children in His teaching. Recently, I had a very meaningful exchange with a beautiful six-month-old baby. Emma was brought to our facility by Bianca, a staff member at my residence. I felt especially connected to Emma since I had observed her development over the months before her mother left for maternity leave. I had seen only pictures of her since her birth, but now, I was communicating in person.

It was an exciting communication for me and, I believe, for Emma also. I used words, and Emma largely communicated with her sparkling eyes, motions, and sounds. We were both engaged in meaningful communication.

Good communication results when helpful thoughts and actions are shared in love. Emma certainly helped me, and I believe that she realized that I was sending loving wishes to her.

While communicating is frequently done by using spoken words, other means are sometimes used. Particularly in these past many months when we have been required to wear masks, we have often communicated by our eyes and even by signs.

Anna, another staff member, helps one of my neighbours, so I see her often. She frequently wears a shirt with words on it. Without saying anything, she communicates messages to me and, I am sure, to many others. One message that I particularly liked was based on three "Ls": "Live every moment, Laugh every day, Love beyond words."

The ultimate communication is, of course, when God speaks to us. It may be through His written Word, the Bible. It may be via a friend or even a stranger. It is often in a time of private prayer when we become very aware of God's presence.

In any event, it takes two to communicate. To be effective, we must be sincere and eager to help the other person.

In today's verse, Samuel was eager to do God's bidding, and he gave us a great heritage. I tried to share my love with baby Emma, and she certainly blessed me, even though our visit was brief. Anna continues to minister to me (and many others) by the shirts that she wears, even without making a sound.

I'm sure that you can think of many ways by which one can communicate. When I posed this question to one of the staffers here, the immediate answer was "by Internet" — something unheard of when I was young.

You and I are constantly communicating. May we always do so in a positive, kind, and helpful way.

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for giving us the ability to learn from Your communications with us. In turn, help us to be positive and kind to others. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

We all leave an inheritance to those who follow us, particularly if we have children. I had four older brothers, and we were especially fortunate in inheriting godly examples of Christian living from our parents.

We were also shown how to make a busy family function efficiently. For example, we grew up knowing that while our mother happily prepared food for us to eat, it was the man's responsibility to clean up after a meal and do the dishes. Our father always did so and thus we knew that this was the way it should be.

One side benefit was that our wives knew that at least in one practical instance (who cleans up after meals), they had a good mate when they married a Walter boy!

I was an adult married person when I learned the reason for this practice. In 1917, when my oldest brother, Fred, was born, my Dad told Mum that he didn't like changing diapers. Mum responded by offering a "deal". She would change all the diapers provided Dad cleaned up after each meal — doing the dishes, and so on.

Dad thought that was a great deal. Mum was a good cook, and after a happy meal, it was no big deal to clean up. Mum, though very quiet and always very respectful, was very smart. She knew that babies grow out of diapers, but meals go on forever. Clearly, she had won on that deal over time.

My Dad was truly a man of his word. One of the great inheritances that we received was seeing that in action — he never attempted to back down on the deal that he made in 1917!

My father didn't leave us a significant monetary inheritance. In fact, he was scammed out of a large sum of money by a supposedly Christian man whom he had met through a Christian organization that my Dad was helping in his later years.

But in the matters that are really important — faithful Christian service, helping others, sharing God's love, letting our light shine for God's glory — both our parents gave us the best possible inheritance.

Now, the challenge is for me (and you) to do the same for those who follow. Daily, I question myself as to whether I am leaving a positive, faithful inheritance, not just to my children or to my eleven grandchildren and their spouses or to my twelve (and growing) great-grandchildren, but to the many residents and staff with whom I interact daily.

Age-related physical limitations gradually reduce our opportunities to interface with others, but we must remain faithful in leaving a good inheritance in what really matters!

Prayer: Dear Father, it amazes us to think of the inheritance that You have given us through the gift of love shown in the sacrifice of Jesus. Help us to reflect that love faithfully in service to others. In His name, we pray. Amen.

1 Corinthians 13:12 – For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. (KJV)

I was recently reminded of this verse with the passing of a fellow resident.

When Dr. Ben moved into our residence a number of years ago, he was assigned to sit at the same table where I sat, so I got to know him reasonably well. He had recently sold his dental practice and was an avid follower of the local Toronto basketball team. He was also fond of a lovely new car that he had just purchased.

He had two sons — one in New York and one in California — both of whom I was privileged to meet over the years. Undoubtedly, however, his greatest joy was his grandson in California whom he had never met in person. Over the months, I would overhear telephone conversations between Ben and his grandson.

Then one day, his son brought the grandson to visit in person. I was fortunate to be present when the two met for the first time ever. As expected, the grandfather was thrilled to see his grandson for the first time.

The real surprise, however, was his grandson's response.

The young child was shocked to see his grandfather alive in person. He thought that his grandfather lived IN A BOX. He had seen his grandpa only in the device held by his parents when conversing with Ben. It was a pleasant surprise when he found that he was able to speak to, touch, and feel a live person and not just an image in a box!

Perhaps, like me, you sometimes long for the time when you can see the triune Godhead in person and not, as it were, in a box. Fortunately, the "box" that we have as a guide is the Bible, and chapters like 1 Corinthians 13 show us how to live.

Dr. Kenneth Wuest, in his expanded translation of the New Testament published in 1961, writes about our seeing as children through a clouded mirror, then concludes, "but then I shall fully know even as also I was known".

Even as we continue to struggle with only a partial knowledge of God and our inability to understand all that we daily face, may we have faith and hope to believe in the future that is promised for us. May we do our best to share love with others, even when we sometimes mistakenly feel that God is in a box!

Prayer: Dear Father, we are grateful that You have shared Your Word with us. Help us to exercise faith, hope, and most importantly, love with others. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Our fingers can be very useful parts of our body. Winston Churchill, and many others since, displayed two fingers shaped like a "V" to indicate victory. It is common to show our fingers across our chest or forehead as a salute. Sometimes, a finger pointing skyward indicates a commitment to God.

But I think that one of the most interesting ways of communicating is when we curl our index finger in a way that says, "Come to me."

Approximately half a century ago, I reluctantly agreed to coach our church's hockey team. They played in a men's league with half a dozen other teams from our churches in Toronto, Canada. They were enthusiastic, but without a coach, they had gone for a year and half without winning a single game. I don't claim any great hockey skills, but with diligent weekly practices, we won the league championship two years later!

They were enthusiastic players, and there was always a tendency to get involved in altercations. However, I tried to enforce strictly the fact that they would never score a goal when sitting in the penalty box!

Teddy, one of our big, tough players, was very enthusiastic and always seemed to be getting in the middle of everything. I recall one game when a melee looked like it was going to develop into a fighting session. As usual, Teddy quickly skated to the corner of the rink to be in the middle of the fight. However, he glanced across the rink to me as the coach on the bench. I just beckoned "Come to me", and Teddy skated away from the fight to stand beside me. Teddy remembered the strict rule that I tried to enforce!

As you read this, I am sure that you can think of many situations when you have either called or been the called, as indicated by the beckoning finger. It is a common use of our hand.

Interestingly, I was not able to force Teddy to obey my command or request. He had to choose to obey, and in doing so, surprised many on the rink. Indeed, in most situations where we are called, we must voluntarily obey, although, as children, sometimes there were physical consequences if we didn't.

When we are called, as in the words of Jesus in today's verses, God could force us to obey and follow. In His wisdom, however, He has chosen to give us the free will to make the choice. The choice to accept the coach's directions led to victory for Teddy and his fellow hockey players. How much more important it is that we choose to follow God's call in the game of life!

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for showing us the way to follow You by sending Jesus to be our example. Help us always to make the right choice. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Bianca, a staff member at my residence, sent me a picture of her baby, Emma, who arrived early in November, 2022. Even though Emma was sleeping only two hours at a time, her mother told me how wonderful she was, and that Emma's father was thrilled to see his baby every time he came home from work. Emma is off to a good start!

I was reminded of how much and how quickly babies learn from the adults around them.

We often wait to hear a baby's first words — "Mama" or "Dada" or whatever. In speaking about this with a young doctor, Jacob told me that the first word that he ever said was "truck". Obviously, his parents had repeatedly commented about his love of playing with trucks.

In discussing this subject with a senior manager at my residence, Alberto said that his young son didn't speak until he was three. His older sister took care of him — including doing his talking! His first word was "Google". Again, being a bright young child, he listened to his parents, and even at his young age, learned about this newly developed search tool.

While there are many lessons that we can learn from the young people saying "truck" or "Google", one of the most important lessons is that babies listen and learn from those of us who are older.

What a responsibility that we have to be careful what we say! How sad it is when we hear a youngster defiantly saying "Mine!" and being unwilling to share with a playmate.

Even more ominous are the current trending of "goblin mode" and "gaslighting". Google them and you won't like what you read!

I believe that it is much safer and better to follow God's wise direction:

Proverbs 22:6 – Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (KJV)

As we interact with the babies in our families, let's be careful to choose our words wisely and be good examples both for them and their parents.

Prayer: Dear Father, help us to listen, to learn, and to help to train others to follow You. Amen.