Out With the Bad

Happy Sunday. It was the late 1980s. We lived in Henryville, Indiana, just above Louisville, Kentucky. Not too far from us, there was a place that sold the most beautiful Christmas trees.

For a couple of years, we bought a fresh cut tree. And that time, we learned that I was allergic to having a fresh tree in the house. So too was our son, Taylor. I remember after we figured it out, taking the tree down on Christmas day just to get it out of the house so that I could breathe normally again.

And Taylor could, too. When will you take your tree down? When will you undecorate your house? We'll put things away this week after Christmas, before New Year.

As 2025 comes to a close, I want to talk about putting things away. In the third chapter of Ecclesiastes, we find familiar words. For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die.

A time to plant and a time to harvest what is planted. A time to kill. A time to heal. A time to break down.

A time to build up. A time to weep. A time to laugh. A time to mourn.

And a time to dance. A time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones together. A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. A time to seek and a time to lose.

A time to keep and a time to throw away. Today I want to focus on the last part of verse six. a time to keep and a time to throw away. I'm not talking about trees and decorations.

Now, I'm talking about attitudes, habits, and thoughts that we should get rid of. As 2025 closes, I would suggest that now's a good time to let go of some of the things that you should no longer keep. Out with the bad. Maybe you've been hurt.

Is there someone you need to forgive? Jesus was very clear about this in Matthew 6:14 and 15. Jesus said, "If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your father will not forgive your sins."

It's pretty plain. Maybe there's somebody that you need to forgive as this year closes. A grudge you've been holding. Bernard Metsler said, "When you forgive, you in no way change the past, but you sure do change the future."

Good words. Maybe it's a habit that you need to let go as this year ends. I know of a young man who's about to receive his one-year sobriety coin from Alcoholics Anonymous. As last year ended, he realized that his drinking was negatively impacting his family and all of his life.

Good time to change habits. One habit that I plan on changing this year is maybe watching things on my iPad a bit too much. I think I need to put that away and be more productive. Whatever it is, this time of year is a great time for self-examination.

I love the last two verses written by David in in Psalm 139. David wrote, "Search me, oh God, and know my heart. Test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the paths of everlasting life.

Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life. I'm not sure what it is that you need to put away, but I encourage you to look at your life and see what needs to be left behind. Please forgive me for being a little extra brief today. I've a toothache and talking is not too easy right now.

I do want to thank all of you who kindly donated to this ministry in 2025. Please know that year-end tax forms will be mailed early 2026. I'm also excited for our new study coming in the next year. Next week, we'll begin a study on my favorite verses from the book of Proverbs.

I hope you'll join me. Also, liking this these videos will help more people see them because of something called an algorithm. Thank you so much. Happy New Year.

Pray with me. Lord, everybody that watches this, listens to this, is different and with different things they need to put away. So our prayer today is that you would speak to us. You would show us as we examine ourselves what we need to leave behind as we move forward, as we grow in Christ in Jesus name.

Amen. God bless. Thanks for watching. Happy new year to