Thanksgiving

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7 ESV)

I admit it, I was born with the worry gene. It seems to be hereditary as my mom has it, some of my siblings have it, and my kids have it. So the question is what can we do about it? The answer my brothers and sisters in Christ ... take our worries to the Lord. He tells us in theses verses from Philippians as well as in Matthew 6:25 and others to not be anxious or worry about the things of the earth, for God knows what we need.

Now, the one caveat is that the Lord wants us to work hard and be responsible. We cannot purchase more than we can afford, but we must be good stewards of what God has given us. In today's world, where such emphasis is put on what you have and that defines who you are, it is difficult. But we must stay in the Word, constantly reminding ourselves that this is not our reward, but eternal life in Heaven is our reward. We must continually take our worries and concerns to Him that has the power to help. We must not forget to thank Him for every blessing, good and bad (yes a blessing from God may not feel so great, but remember that He knows what we need).

As we approach Thanksgiving here in the US, let us thank God for his ultimate gift and blessing ;His Son whom He sent to die for the forgiveness of our sins.

God bless.

What is it that we need?

He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. (2 Corinthians 5:15 ESV)

Have you ever downsized? That could mean a smaller car, a smaller house, going from owning to renting. My family made the decision about 5 and a half years ago to do just that. It was a very humbling experience. While we chose to downsize our home, it was a forced choice. A career decision after 2 years had depleted our savings and we found that we could no longer afford the lifestyle we we living. We met with our pastor and knew what needed to be done.

To give some background, I have been a very hard worker my whole life, I love working, it brings me great pleasure to solve problems and bring solutions to the forefront. I had done well for myself and my family. A wife, four kids, a 4500 square foot, 4 bedroom colonial, finished club room in the basement, in-ground pool in the backyard, beautiful landscaping.  We seemingly had it all, but even without the job troubles, there was something missing. There was too much room, we couldn't feel close as a family. We became the things we had and not the people we are.

we moved to an 1800 square foot 3 bedroom rancher. It is beautiful. I grew up (6 kids) in a much smaller 3 bedroom rancher. We had a lot of fun growing up in that house. I knew our move would work, but it didn't make it any easier.

But something has happened. Something very positive. Oh, of course the kids will complain about not having their own bedrooms, we sometimes bump into each other because of the tight quarters. But we have a home, not just a house now. And our focus has shifted from the things of the world that man makes to the things that God made. We still slip up, get caught up in the moment as my career is back on track. Thankfully, we are in the Word, and that level sets our desires and lets us think more in terms of our needs.

God Bless.

Witnessing

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake (Philippians 1:29 ESV)

How many of us suffer the persecution described in the Bible? My guess is not many. I have been very fortunate in that my witnessing to my faith has been accepted in most situations and in others just ignored. I often think about what I would do if I felt persecuted, what would my reaction be? Would I back away from my convictions?

Recently, I have observed a person very close to me be persecuted for speaking out, pointing out potential false teachings. The interesting part of this story is that the persecution is not coming from an atheist, but a brother or sister in Christ. It is sometimes easier to witness to a non Christian than to another Christian. How do we share God's Word in a loving manner but not sound arrogant when speaking the Truth as proclaimed in the Bible?

This is a question I will be seeking God's answer to in the Bible, where all answers can be found.

Turning away from temptations

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways. (Psalm 119:37 ESV)

I have noticed a trend in recent years. We all know that television has gotten more and more liberal in what is acceptable, especially for the family hour, but there is a more subtle change happening. The networks are now luring us in with sitcoms that seem clean at first. They create a following and then one year you watch and its all about the ranch. You think to yourself "Did this just become like this? " Then you look back and realize that slowly, the sex and raunched has been worked in, a little at a time. As Christians we think to ourselves that its just one or two instances, but overall the show is still good, right?

I was fortunate in one respect that for 4 years while I returned to school to finish my degree, I voided myself from television. It was'one distraction, one extracurricular activity that I chose to give up. I say I am fortunate because I came to realize that it is not a necessity (okay, maybe on Sunday afternoons in fall). So I will walk away. But it still bothers me.

In my family, our nightly devotions recently have dealt with temptations. As Christians engaged with the Word we can sometimes be lulled into thinking that we are immune from succumbing to these temptations. But we are not. Read through the Bible and you will see many instances of great falls. For that matter, pick up the newspaper and look at the falls from grace. None of us are exempt from Satan's temptations. We must continue to remind ourselves to turn away.

Faith alome

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:25-26 ESV)

Nothing we can do will give us everlasting life in the kingdom of God. Only through faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior can we have eternal life.

Should we not help our neighbor in trouble if we believe in Jesus as our Savior? If we see someone being wronged do we not come to the rescue? If we help our neighbor and defend those being wronged,  do those acts alone save us from God's wrath on judgment day?

We are to do good works, but only out of faith. For works without faith are empty, meant for our own glorification and not God's.  Everything we do should have the goal of pleasing God.

Resist

Do not enter the path of the wicked,
and do not walk in the way of the evil.
Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on. (Proverbs 4:14-15 ESV)

Do you have these verses bookmarkee in your Bible? You should. We are all constantly tempted by Satan and these verses are a good reminder to us of God's instructions. Sometimes we think we are better than others, no susceptible to the devil's temptations. But as our pastor told my son's confirmation class "now is when Satan will really go after you ". He already has the nonbelievers in his control, it is the professed Christians that he will work hard to get. Listen to the Word and resist temptation. In today's world you just need to turn on the television it his temptations are right there.

Read and you will find

"'This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" ( Matthew 15:8-9 ESV)

I find that if I do not read the Word and pray regularly that my mind tends to wander, thinking inappropriate thoughts and making me anxious about life's challenges. When I am in the Word a wandering eye is reminded immediately by a heart filled with Christ to turn away and ask for forgiveness immediately. I also find that in interactions with others I am not as quick to fire back a comment that I may later regret.

Now I am not saying the Word keeps me from sinning but it does allow me to immediately reflect and understand that I have sinned. It also reminds me that I am forgiven. We are human and by nature sinful. That is why God sent Jesus to die on the cross for us.

Here is the greatest part of being in the Word regularly (daily at least) ; it allows us to see the false preachings. When we know what God is telling us, we are not as likely to be drawn into some of the false, feel good preaching of today. So many are now straying from the Word to make people feel good. I don't think there is anything wrong with people feeling good. But that is not what gives them eternal life in Heaven. That is a gift straight from God.  It is very clear if you read and listen to the Word.

God bles you and thanks to God for a quick return of my upgraded tablet allowing me to write again.

If you haven't already, go and see Courageous,  a movie with a powerful message.