Thanksgiving

Some believe that thanksgiving had its beginning with the Pilgrims in the Plymouth Colony in 1621. Others believe that thanksgiving had its beginning with the institution of the national holiday by George Washington in 1789. But I suggest to you that thanksgiving had its beginning in the God of heaven.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17,18, we are told to pray without ceasing and in everything to give thanks. The Christian should be thankful for the earthly blessings he has received (Matthew 6:33) and for the spiritual blessings he has received (Ephesians 1:3). The offering of thanks giving to God is not new to the Christian dispensation. The children of Israel were to be thankful for the things God had done for them (1 Chronicles 16:8), for His love for them (1 Chronicles 16:34), for the salvation He provides (1 Chronicles 16:35), for His righteousness (Psalm 7:17), and for His protection (Psalm 28:7).

Christians should count their blessings each day and praise God for His wonderful works. With our whole hearts, let us give thanks to God, praising His glorious name every day for all that He has done for us (Psalm 86:12).

Friends and neighbors we ought to be thankful for our homes, our families, our opportunities to work with our hands, our school system, our medical community, our law enforcement personnel, our postal service, our businesses that provide for our needs, our government that strives to help us live peacefully with protection from the evil doer, and for our country which provides us the opportunities to worship God, praising Him for His marvelous works, in freedom from persecution. Take a moment out of each day to be thankful for the blessings of God: physically and spiritually.

Special Invitation: We would like to invite you to come and worship with us at every opportunity. During the week of Thanksgiving, we will be having our mid-week service on Wednesday night at 7:00. We pray you will come and join us as we will use this hour for singing songs of praise to God, reading Scriptures with reasons for thankfulness, and in prayer thanking God for all that He has done for us.

Pure Words (Psalm 12)

The words of men can be cutting and hurtful. The Psalmist declared that everyone utters lies to his neighbors, with flattering lips and a double mind. They boast with their tongues saying they will prevail over them because of their words.

In contrast to the words of men, we are told about the wonderful words of the Lord. “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace…purified seven times” (ESV). God’s word is pure and holy. We can take confidence in His promises. We have comfort because of His words of peace, hope, love, and joy.

Two things we should learn from this great Psalm: first, we need to control our tongues. It is not right to talk negatively about your neighbors and friends. It is not right to be using your mouth to lie. Instead, use your words to speak words of love and encouragement to others. Yes, the tongue is hard to control (James 3:2-12; esp.v8). Even so, we can use our speech for good things. “Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for edifying as the need be, that it may give grace to them that hear” (Ephesians 4:29).

Second, we need to remember that the Lord is in charge and His words are pure. We are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-28). He has given us the ability to communicate and He expects us to communicate in a positive manner. Let us strive to use our words in a positive and pure manner rather than the hurtful and lying words of men.

According to You

“We are living a Gospel, A chapter each day, By deed that we do, By word that we say; Men read what we live, Whether faithless or true, Say! What is the Gospel According to you?”

— Author Unknown

To the church in Corinth, Paul wrote, “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:2,3). These words of praise should have been a great source of encouragement to these first century Christians. They were living in a rough time, in a rough city for the child of God. Yet, Paul said that they were known and read by all men. Their lives were lived for Christ and people knew it (Philippians 1:21; Galatians 2:20).

 

The prophet Jeremiah told of a day when the new covenant would be established. The new covenant was established when Christ died and the church was established (Acts 2; Hebrews 7-9; Colossians 2:14). Jeremiah said that in that day the new covenant would be in the hearts of men. “Says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Jeremiah 31:31-34). This passage is quoted and applied to the new covenant in Hebrews 8:1-13. In its application of the passage, the author writes, “For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second… In that He says, “a new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away” (v.7,13). Jesus is the Mediator of the new covenant which went into place after His death (Hebrews 9:15-17). This is good news! “He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13,14). The Law of Moses is no longer the law we must follow. Instead, we follow the law of Christ. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” Romans 8:1,2). We are under the perfect law of liberty (James 1:25). The new covenant has been recorded for us by men inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20,21; 2 Timothy 3:16,17). The New Testament is the will of God that we must know and obey.

While it is recorded in the form of the written word, the gospel must also be written in our hearts. We must hear the word in order to believe and obey it (Romans 10:17). We must believe the gospel which means we must write its truths on our hearts (John 8:24; Hebrews 11:1,6). In order to obey it, it must become a part of who we are. We must live for Christ each day (Philippians 1:20). Then with the word written on our hearts, we can impact the world with the gospel being known and read by men, letting our lights shine before men so that they glorify God (Matthew 5:13-16).

Additionally, we must teach the gospel to a lost and dying world (2 Timothy 2:2). We cannot teach the truth until we know the truth and live the truth. We must spend more time in drawing near to God in study so that we may be living epistles for God.

Questions: What is written on your heart? When others see your life, does it point them to Christ? When others look at you, do they want to know more about God, or do they turn away from God? Do people see you as an example of righteousness? What is the gospel according to you, as demonstrated by your life?

What a Great Nation!

The fourth chapter of Deuteronomy declares the importance of the child of God remaining faithful to the word of God. Moses commanded the children of Israel to remain faithful so that they would live, go in and possess the land of Canaan. In order to receive the blessing from God, there were conditions. They were to hold fast to the Lord (v.4), not adding to or taking away from the commandments of the Lord (v.2). By sticking to the will of God, they would have wisdom and understanding and the people of the land would see the Israelites as a great nation. Moses described why Israel was a great nation in Deuteronomy 4:7-9: “For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day? Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren” (Deut. 4:7-9). 

There are several wonderful lessons the New Testament Christian can learn from this powerful passage.

Just as for the Israelite, the Christian is a part of a special nation. We are “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people” (1 Peter 2:9). Therefore we have several blessings that the world does not have.

We are able to draw near to God (Deut. 4:7). The Christian is one who draws near to God, avoiding the friendship with the world, resisting the devil, submitting to God, and humbling himself before God (James 4:4-10). As we draw near to God, He draws near to us.

Christians receive the blessing of being able to draw near to God in prayer. “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:12). As Christians, we can approach the throne of God to receive help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16; 1 Peter 5:7). We are a great nation because we can call on God!

Christians are blessed in that we have the governing law of God to guide us. The Old Law has been nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14). But we are under a new and better law: the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ (Romans 8:1,2); the Law of Christ; the perfect law of liberty (James 1:25); the royal law (James 2:8); and the new covenant, the last will and testament of Christ (Hebrews 9:15-17). If we will keep the law of God, we will be a great nation!

Since we have a relationship with the One True God and can draw near to Him, can call on Him in prayer, and have a law that guides our way in this life (Proverbs 3:5,6; Psalm 119:105), we have responsibilities. Every citizen must do his part to make the kingdom be a success.

For the Israelite of old and the Christian today, we must take heed to ourselves. We must watch out for the temptations that may come our way. We must examine ourselves and make sure we are walking the straight and narrow. As Paul instructed Timothy, we must take heed to ourselves so that we may save our souls and others we may influence through preaching and action (1 Timothy 4:16).

We must diligently keep ourselves. Paul wrote, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). We must take diligent care for the way we live. We must fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith if we want the reward of eternal life in heaven (2 Timothy 4:6-8). We must “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). Be diligent!

Moses warned the Israelites that they must not forget the things their eyes had seen (Deut. 4:9). They had first hand knowledge of the power of God and the utter failure of the idolatry of other nations. They had ample warning. Brethren, we must not forget the past. We must learn from the Scriptures so that we can live in a way that is pleasing to the sight of God. We must avoid the sin that has occurred within the religious world in days gone by. It is said that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Let us not forget the lessons of the Bible.

Failure to draw near to God, pray to God, live by His law, taking heed to ourselves, keeping ourselves with diligence, and remember the lessons from the past results in a horrible condition: the way of God will depart from our hearts. In the parable of the sower, the seed that fell on the wayside was trampled down and the birds devoured it...Satan came and take it away. These had the word of God taken from their heart when they should have believed and been saved (Luke 8:15-18). Others had no root because they did not study and grow into maturity (Luke 8:13). Others were choked out by the cares, riches and pleasures of life (Luke 8:14). Don’t let God’s law depart from you.

We are a special and great nation. We can continue the progress of the nation by being good teachers of the gospel to a lost and dying world. We need faithful, able teachers who will impart the word to others (2 Timothy 2:2). We need parents and grandparents who will teach their family the gospel (Deut. 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:5). We can live a prosperous life in Christ when we follow the ways of God and help others to do the same. 

Brethren, if we will do our part to promote the kingdom of God by living the word and teaching it, growth will occur! What a great nation!

— Denny Wilson

 

The Lord is Righteous (Ps. 11)

The eleventh Psalm declares that the righteous are oppressed by the wicked. Even so, the righteous are not left to defend for themselves. We must put our trust in the Lord (v.1). The Lord reigns from His throne in heaven (v.4). He is watching over us each day. He knows our needs. He knows our sorrows (1 Peter 5:7). He knows our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7). He will repay the wicked (Romans 12:19,20). Often in life we try to take everything into our own hands. We want to be in control. We want to do things according to our own will. But Psalm 11 provides us with the encouragement to trust God, live according to His will and understand that God will provide.

“The Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright” (Psalm 11:7). The righteous have fellowship with the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ and with one another (1 John 1:3). John wrote, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:6,7). When we live righteous lives as children of God, we have fellowship with God and with one another. However, if we do not live according to the doctrine of Christ, we are not righteous and we will not have fellowship with God, the Son, or with God’s children. The Lord is righteous and He expects His children to live righteous lives.

The Righteous Lord will watch over His children. He wants us to live righteous lives. He is not pleased when we are sinful and self-willed. When we live right according to God’s will, then we have fellowship with Him and with one another. Are you living a righteous life in the presence of a Righteous Lord? If you need help with this, let us know. We would love to help!

You Must Shine in this Dark World

I have a book in my library entitled, Delivering Knock Your Socks Off Service, by Ron Zemke and Kristin Anderson. The first rule for achieving outstanding service is called, “The Only Unbreakable Rule: To the Customer, You Are the Company.”

They went on to explain, “Customers don’t distinguish between you and the company you work for. Nor should they. To your customer’s way of thinking, you are the company. Customers don’t know how things get done behind doors marked EMPLOYEES ONLY. They don’t know your areas of responsibility, your job description, or what you personally can and cannot do for them. And they don’t care. To customers, those things are your business, not theirs.”

It really isn’t much different for Christians. The world should see Jesus and His church in us. They should see our love and good works (Eph. 2:10). They should see we are Christians by our love (John 13:35). They should see our treatment and concern of people in this world and know our motivation (Gal. 6:1,2,9,10). They should see our lights shining brightly for Christ (Matt. 5:16). They should see that we are not just saying with our mouths that we are Christians but that we living a life representative of Christ and His church.

Of course we must point out that we are not trying to draw men to ourselves. “For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Cor. 4:5). The glory belongs to Christ. By our lives of service to others and faithfulness to God, we can help others to know what it means to be a Christian. It may be that someone is interested in knowing more about Christ and His church and because of our actions; they may ask us for help. What story are you telling by your actions?

Humble Servants (Psalm 10)

The wicked persecute the poor, appear to be prosperous, and generally think they will never have a problem in this world (v.1-11). It seems that around every corner that there are those who are looking to take advantage of those in need. Sadly, there are also those who through fraud take advantage of those with big hearts making it harder to get help for those truly in need. The Christian cannot let these problems distract them from being a good servant of God.

The Lord is King forever and ever (v.16). He will hear the desires of the humble. Humility is a character trait that is lacking but that is much needed in our world. It is important that we consider others above ourselves (Philippians 2:3,4). We must be servants to the world. It is essential that we help our fellowman, especially the fatherless, the oppressed, and the widows (v.18; James 1:27).

Let us humble ourselves before the Lord and He will exalt us (James 4:10). We will not need to be oppressing others to get ahead. We will not have to mistreat anyone by fraud. Fellow citizens, let us help those who are in need with love for their souls and love for the Creator of souls.