Thanksgiving Should Be An Everyday Attitude

Many Thanksgiving Day celebrations undoubtedly involve precious little thankfulness,much less
giving thanks. For many the holiday has become known as Turkey Day,characterized more by
gluttony than gratitude.People in poor,undeveloped countries look on the United States as incredibly rich and very self-indulgent instead of thankful for its abundance,comforts and
conveniences. Gratitude is the mother of all virtues. Thankfulness tends to be passive.Thanksgiving is active. Thanks are something that need to be given away-making everyone richer. Note that the national holiday Americans celebrate is called Thanksgiving Day,
not Be Thankful Day. We should make it a habit to thank God,daily.When we do we are sure to be happier people.Oh,yes and each other on the daily. The Bible tell us how we're to be,thankful.
Psalm 100:v4 ,Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him,and bless His name. Psalm:95v2,Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.Philippians C-4:v6,Be anxious for nothing,but in everything by prayer and supplication,with thanksgiving,let your requests be made known to God.

The Blessings Are In The Lesson's!

We,ve seen a lot of devastation,and hardship around the world this year. We all have images of


the pictures,in our minds that has captured our attention. It can be hard not to be overwhelmed


by them. But when you know that God is in control, we can look at the massive destruction and still have joy .


Our minds fine it hard to process the suffering of our people,and as our heart's are crushed,tears


run down our faces. Our reaction are understandable. Yet,sometimes crying is the only appropriate


response to the suffering we encounter in life. As we examine the devastation,I think of the


compassion of our Lord. Jesus understood the need for tears. He wept over a different kind of


devastation-the destruction ( Gen.C-3:v-1 Thu v-24) brought on by sin. As He approached


Jerusalem,marked by corruption and injustice and the pain they create,His response was tears.


"Now as He drew near,He saw the city and wept over it" ( Luke C-19:v41). Jesus wept out of


compassion,and grief. In the world we live in ,we to will encounter inhumanity ,suffering,and sin that wreak havoc in our life's.How do we respond? If the heart of Christ breaks over the broken


condition of our world,shouldn't ours? Now then, we should be doing everything we can to make a difference for those in need, both spiritually and physically?

The Mighty Waters

While in Hawaii', I went to see the mighty waterfalls of the Waipi'o Valley,they are some of the most breathtaking on the Big Island. But what impressed me most in the valley,was not the sight of the falls or the spray of the water. It was the sound of them. It was an overwhelming experience that reminded me how small I am by comparison. Later with this scene in mind,I couldn't help but think about John in Revelation 1:15. While on the island of Patmos,he saw a vision of the risen Christ.The apostle described Jesus in the glory of His resurrection, noting both His clothing and His physical qualities. Then John described Christ's voice "as the sound of many waters" (v.15). I'm not sure I fully appreciated what that meant until I visited Waipi'o Valley,and was overwhelmed by the thundering sound of the falls. As those mighty waters reminded me of my own smallness, I better understood why John fell at the feet of Christ as if dead (v.17 ). Perhaps that description will help you grasp the awesomeness of Jesus' presence and prompt you to follow John's example of worshiping the Savior. Read: Revelation C-1:v9 thu 17.

Who Have You Been Listening To Lately?

From all accounts Satan's sway over mankind began when he turned the minds of Adam and Eve against God.In order to pull it off ,he had to lie to them about God--and
they had to fall for it.In that defining moment,he lied to them about God's goodness,God's Word,and God's intentions (Gen.C-3:v1 Thur 6).Satan is still up to his old tricks.Jesus said that when the devil"Speaks a lie,he speaks from his own resources,for he is a liar" (John C-8:v44).It should not be surprising,then,that when
trouble interrupts our lives,the father of lies whisper in our ears and suddenly we
are questioning God's goodness.So when we are told to follow God's commands,we wonder if His Word is really true in the first place.When Jesus tells us things like,
"Do not lay up for ourselves treasures on earth" (Matt.C-6:v19),Satan tells us that
the good life is about piling up things here,causing us to doubt God's good intentions.Our problem is that we,like Adam and Eve,believe Satan's lies.And when we
do, our loyalty to God is compromised.Then our enemy slithers off to his next assignment,leaving us alone to face our regrets and the realization that his lies
have seduced us away from our truest and dearest Friend.Don't go to hell behind this
Halloween thing.

The Why Me Question

Psalms 131 is often read as an encouragement to understand that mystery is one of the
hallmarks of God's character.It challenge us to let our minds be at rest,since we are unable to understand all that God is doing in His universe.But then we see another side of David's calm spirit;As we are unable to understand all that God is
doing in us ,and it is impossible to try.David draws a comparison between a weaned
child that no longer frets for what it once demanded,and a soul that has learned the
same lesson.It is a call to learn humility,patient endurance,and contentment in all
our circumstances---whatever they are even when we do not understand God's reasons.
Divine logic is beyond the grasp of our minds.We ask,"Why this affliction? Why this
anguish?" The Father answers,"Hush,my child.You wouldn't understand if I explained it
to you.Just trust Me!" So as we turn from David's example to ask our self:can we ,in our circumstances,"hope in the Lord"?(v3).Can we wait in faith and patience without
fretting and without questioning God's wisdom? Can we trust Him while He works in us His good,acceptable,and perfect will? So,remember this:Deuteronomy C-29P:v29.

A Prayer For Resentment And Bitterness

Heavenly Father,We come to You now in the Name of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.
Father,help us to let go of all bitterness and resentment.You are the One Who binds
up and heals the broken-hearted.We receive Your anointing that breaks and destroys every yoke of bondage.We receive healing by faith according to Your Word,Isaiah
C-53:v5,"and with His stripes we are healed".Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit,We acknowledge the Holy Spirit as our wonderful Counselor! Thank You for helping us work out our salvation with fear and trembling,for it is You,Father,
Who works in us to will and to act according to Your good purpose. In the Name of Jesus, we choose to forgive those who have wronged us.We choose to live a life of forgiveness because You have forgiven us.We repent of all resentments,bitterness,
rage,anger,brawling,and slander,along with every form of malice.We desire to be kind and compassionate to others,forgiving them,just as in Christ You forgave us.With the
help of the Holy Spirit,we make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy,for we know that we will not enter into temptation or cause others to stumble.
Thank You,Heavenly Father,that You watch over Your Word to perform it and that whom the Son has set free is free indeed.We declare that we have overcome resentment and
bitterness by the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Word of our testimony.
Amen!Amen!

You Can Triumph Over Your Own Bitterness

After Job experienced a series of great catastrophes,his wife told him to"curse God
and die" (Job 2:9).Indeed,the perversity of life,the unfairness we see and experience
,can make us want to throw up our hands in despair. Few persons had a better right
to feel that way than Jesus.When his disciples were with him on their last night together,oblivious to his agony,they got into a dispute about which of them should be considered the greatest (Luke C-22:v24 ).One disciple betrayed him.Another denied
him.Then he was arrested,unjustly accused,tried,flogged,and condemned to die. A person in his situation might easily feel great bitterness not only toward his "friends" and persecutors but also toward God.However ,in the direst and most trying of circumstances,Jesus remained the master over his own attitudes and actions.
While he was being crucified,he said,"Father,forgive them;for they do not know what
they are doing"( Luke C-23:v34).Jesus,absorbed the verbal abuse of the leaders and
of the soldiers,apparently without saying a word.He did not defend himself against
the derision of one of the criminals being crucified along with him.Instead he offered comfort to the other man being crucified.Finally,after experiencing all the
pain and abuse humankind could dish out,he entrusted his life,destiny,and the justness of his cause to God,saying,"Father,into your hands I commend my spirit"
( Luke C-23:v46).
Jesus' victory was complete.Nothing the world could do to him could make him bitter
toward God,make him less than he intended to be ,or make him lose confidence in the
power of God to achieve justice.Jesus did not grow rich off his amazing abilities,
command mighty armies,or control the purse of a big corporation.He did not prove his central place in the world by avoiding all pain and struggle.He did not achieve
victory in any of the common ways; but he did what none of the rest of us,out of our own strength,is able to do.He proved himself the complete master of his own ambitions
,desires,and passions.He did not let injustice or the bitterness it engenders defeat
him.So let the understanding of Jesus' victory change your ways of assessing your life.