i turn the words of the Psalm into a prayer for my family in 2018.

Praise the Lord!
How joyful are those who fear the Lord
and delight in obeying his commands.
2 Their children will be successful everywhere;
an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.
3 They themselves will be wealthy,
and their good deeds will last forever.
4 Light shines in the darkness for the godly.
They are generous, compassionate, and righteous.
5 Good comes to those who lend money generously
and conduct their business fairly.
6 Such people will not be overcome by evil.
Those who are righteous will be long remembered.
7 They do not fear bad news;
they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.
8 They are confident and fearless
and can face their foes triumphantly.
9 They share freely and give generously to those in need.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.
They will have influence and honor.
10 The wicked will see this and be infuriated.
They will grind their teeth in anger;
they will slink away, their hopes thwarted

When I was around nine years old the book The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey was a best seller. It was about how the world would come to an end according to the Bible. Everyone was talking about it including kids like me. My family didn’t go to church regularly but my friend did. I wanted to become a Christian because I was so scared and I knew I couldn’t run from God.

Today I have been a Christian for many years. I have a One Year Bible that helps me read it through in a year. The great thing about my Bible is I’m reading the last book, Revelation, at Christmas time. I like the combination of focusing on Jesus’ birth and the scary details of Revelation. The truth is God provided Jesus, and even told about His birth in the Old Testament book of Isaiah , hundreds of years before He came to earth. I no longer worry about the troublesome times that will come upon the earth like I did when I was young. I look to Jesus, the Son of God. He’s my Savior.

It seems everyone gains interest in the Bible when the mark of the beast is talked about.  When I was young it scared me hearing about the prophecies yet to be fulfilled from the book of Revelation. I was just a kid but wanted to become a Christian because it all sounded so scary to me.

Revelation 13:

16 He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. 17 And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. 18 Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666.

Gorgeous and peaceful