Greetings beloved,
Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving, here is a special message I would like to share.
Thanksgiving should be a time when Christians focus on remembering and giving God praise for the things that He has done for, in and through us. Yet, in today’s world, it seems as if it has become only a special day for appreciating relationships, what we possess or what we have accomplished.
Thanksgiving celebrations are observed by people of many countries, usually with a special emphasis on the autumn harvest, but America’s Thanksgiving is engrained deeply in our country’s dramatic beginnings. This Thursday, as we look back on our historical roots, our attention will no doubt be brought to bear on our rich inheritance as free citizens of this country. In addition to this, American’s should also look back at our spiritual heritage and be reminded of the richness of God’s grace, freely given to all those who are citizens of His Kingdom.
The Mayflower reached Plymouth Rock on December 2, 1620 after enduring 66 grueling days of a stormy voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Upon arrival they were greeted by icy shores and a bleak terrain, yet the Pilgrims were still thankful to God for having brought them to a land of freedom where they could worship unreservedly. They spent their last day on the Mayflower in worship and thanksgiving. The winter was long, hard and bitter-cold and in spite of their many tears and devout prayers, when spring had come at last, half of their community had died from sickness. Still they continued to thank God!
These early settlers were thankful at the outset of their journey to the new country, during their settling, and through their manifold difficulties. When all of the hard work and planting had come to fruition, the Pilgrim’s thankfulness climaxed and was expressed in the celebration of a great feast. From the bounty of their harvests and the bottom of their hearts they gave thanks to God initiating our Thanksgiving Day.
The Pilgrim’s could have chosen a day of mourning instead of a day of thanksgiving but they didn’t. What caused them to choose to be thankful? I believe it was because they all shared a consciousness of God that contemporary Christians would do well to seek.
You see beloved, it’s easy to be thankful to God when things are going well in our lives, when our families are healthy and the bills are paid. However, when tragedy strikes or situations become difficult, even critical, it’s not as easy to be thankful.
We’ve all encountered times of crisis, and after nights of extended prayer, we really think that the circumstances will change, and when that doesn’t happen, it’s as if we want to say… “Okay God! What’s going on? Where are You?”
In those moments we feel alone as if the Lord is sleeping, or that He’s taken a vacation, and that we’ve been left to “fend for ourselves.” We try to pray…. but it just feels like our prayers only to rise to the ceiling and then fall back down to the floor with a hefty thump!
-It is hard to pray
-It is hard to give godly council to others
-It is hard to persevere in the right things
-Sometimes it is even hard to live!!!
-Most of all its hard to give thanks!
We experience these things because we have fallen out of communion with God. We become self-centered instead of God-centered. Our eyes are focused on our troubles, our circumstances and situations rather than on God who works all things “together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
To remedy this we need only surrender to our faith, understanding that God is not just an experience or feeling but rather a living being who knows and loves us intimately, who will never leave us or forsake us and who has our best interests at heart (Psalm 139; Hebrews 13:5; Psalm 31:39; 1 Corinthians 2:9). Whether we feel Him there, see Him at work in our lives or not. Thank God, He is with us!
Beloved let me leave you with the lyrics from a song by one of my favorite contemporary Christian bands Barlow Girl…
"Never Alone"
I waited for you todayBut you didn't show
No no no
I needed You today
So where did You go?
You told me to call
Said You'd be there
And though I haven't seen You
Are You still there?
[Chorus:]
I cried out with no reply
And I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I’m never alone
And though I cannot see You
And I can't explain why
Such a deep, deep reassurance
You've placed in my life
We cannot separate
'Cause You're part of me
And though You're invisibleI'll trust the unseen
[Chorus]
We cannot separate
You're part of me
And though You're invisibleI'll trust the unseen
[Chorus]
This Thanksgiving let us be thankful not just for our visible blessings, but also for a God who is ever present and intimately involved in the daily living and loving of our lives.
Ever your servant in Christ,
+Ernest
Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving, here is a special message I would like to share.
Thanksgiving should be a time when Christians focus on remembering and giving God praise for the things that He has done for, in and through us. Yet, in today’s world, it seems as if it has become only a special day for appreciating relationships, what we possess or what we have accomplished.
Thanksgiving celebrations are observed by people of many countries, usually with a special emphasis on the autumn harvest, but America’s Thanksgiving is engrained deeply in our country’s dramatic beginnings. This Thursday, as we look back on our historical roots, our attention will no doubt be brought to bear on our rich inheritance as free citizens of this country. In addition to this, American’s should also look back at our spiritual heritage and be reminded of the richness of God’s grace, freely given to all those who are citizens of His Kingdom.
The Mayflower reached Plymouth Rock on December 2, 1620 after enduring 66 grueling days of a stormy voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Upon arrival they were greeted by icy shores and a bleak terrain, yet the Pilgrims were still thankful to God for having brought them to a land of freedom where they could worship unreservedly. They spent their last day on the Mayflower in worship and thanksgiving. The winter was long, hard and bitter-cold and in spite of their many tears and devout prayers, when spring had come at last, half of their community had died from sickness. Still they continued to thank God!
These early settlers were thankful at the outset of their journey to the new country, during their settling, and through their manifold difficulties. When all of the hard work and planting had come to fruition, the Pilgrim’s thankfulness climaxed and was expressed in the celebration of a great feast. From the bounty of their harvests and the bottom of their hearts they gave thanks to God initiating our Thanksgiving Day.
The Pilgrim’s could have chosen a day of mourning instead of a day of thanksgiving but they didn’t. What caused them to choose to be thankful? I believe it was because they all shared a consciousness of God that contemporary Christians would do well to seek.
You see beloved, it’s easy to be thankful to God when things are going well in our lives, when our families are healthy and the bills are paid. However, when tragedy strikes or situations become difficult, even critical, it’s not as easy to be thankful.
We’ve all encountered times of crisis, and after nights of extended prayer, we really think that the circumstances will change, and when that doesn’t happen, it’s as if we want to say… “Okay God! What’s going on? Where are You?”
In those moments we feel alone as if the Lord is sleeping, or that He’s taken a vacation, and that we’ve been left to “fend for ourselves.” We try to pray…. but it just feels like our prayers only to rise to the ceiling and then fall back down to the floor with a hefty thump!
-It is hard to pray
-It is hard to give godly council to others
-It is hard to persevere in the right things
-Sometimes it is even hard to live!!!
-Most of all its hard to give thanks!
We experience these things because we have fallen out of communion with God. We become self-centered instead of God-centered. Our eyes are focused on our troubles, our circumstances and situations rather than on God who works all things “together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
To remedy this we need only surrender to our faith, understanding that God is not just an experience or feeling but rather a living being who knows and loves us intimately, who will never leave us or forsake us and who has our best interests at heart (Psalm 139; Hebrews 13:5; Psalm 31:39; 1 Corinthians 2:9). Whether we feel Him there, see Him at work in our lives or not. Thank God, He is with us!
Beloved let me leave you with the lyrics from a song by one of my favorite contemporary Christian bands Barlow Girl…
"Never Alone"
I waited for you todayBut you didn't show
No no no
I needed You today
So where did You go?
You told me to call
Said You'd be there
And though I haven't seen You
Are You still there?
[Chorus:]
I cried out with no reply
And I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I’m never alone
And though I cannot see You
And I can't explain why
Such a deep, deep reassurance
You've placed in my life
We cannot separate
'Cause You're part of me
And though You're invisibleI'll trust the unseen
[Chorus]
We cannot separate
You're part of me
And though You're invisibleI'll trust the unseen
[Chorus]
This Thanksgiving let us be thankful not just for our visible blessings, but also for a God who is ever present and intimately involved in the daily living and loving of our lives.
Ever your servant in Christ,
+Ernest
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