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We all could be thankful. Even the poor or sick have been thankful. Being thankful is not according to circumstance but according to attitude. One of the greatest revelations I ever had was when I was homeless, living in a car on a dreary winter’s afternoon. I was challenged by a speaker on the radio to count my blessings and be thankful. I started wit: I’m not out in the snow. I have enough gas to heat up the car now and then. I have a place here where I’m allowed to park. I can listen to the radio. I have a few snacks and some water. I have had a rich life full of great friends and a really good family….and on and on. As I wrote these things down, as they filled more than a page I became more and more thankful. More and more of God’s blessings came to mind from the natural to the spiritual. It was like I was blessed with a Spirit of Thanksgiving. I asked God that I keep that attitude of thanksgiving. I have never been the same.

As we enter the Holidays let’s put aside the things that trouble us and focus on all the things and persons for which we should be thankful. As Christians our Thanksgiving should begin with God’s goodness expressed by His greatest gift, Jesus. As humans we have so much for which to be thankful. As Christians we have so much more. Put away the things that trouble you and be filled with joy and thanksgiving.

Your attitude is up to you. Your attitude guides your feelings. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Philippians 4:6-7 says “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything in prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Who do you serve? Who do I serve?

Is the God we serve dependent on the outcome of an election to keep us, to give us peace? He is a great and glorious God whose will will be done in His kingdom. As important as our elections and other human activities may be; it is even more important to know who we serve,,,who has our back.

Is the God we serve unable to defeat the evil in this world? Of course not. He has given us the responsibility to confront and defeat evil. He is a God who is dedicated to human freedom and human responsibility. It answers this question. If God is a good God why is there so much evil in the world?

He does not give us commandments to limit our freedom but to protect it. He wants us free from the ravaging results of sin. He wants us to live in joy, enjoying peace of mind and confidence in His love.

We usually know freedom in two main ways which are the freedom to do and the freedom from. For instance we love the freedom to do what we want. We also want the freedom from crime, abuse, disaster. God has give humans choice. He wants us to have freedom of choice but know that our choices are affected, not truly free if we are servants of sin. Certainly people who are not born again do not have absolutely free choice. They can make choices but their choices are affected by sin.

The God I serve wants us to be absolutely free. He wants us to live with peace of minds during pandemics, natural disasters, and contested elections. If we live in His peace we are free from fear and doubt.

In the upcoming weeks and months there will be many new souls entering the Kingdom, the Family of God. How do we welcome them? What do we teach them first?

As I look at books for new believers I see many good things listed as foundational. I would not deny the value of these things. But only some of them deal with Christianity as relational and dynamic.

I propose that first learning the relationships in the Kingdom makes the other doctrinal and polity teachings more understandable to the new believer. It gives the things to come a more personal framework into which further teachings can be incorporated.

We all have our personal stories and with them our own understandings about how relationships work. Some of those understandings are good and healthy. Some come out of hurt, abuse and other dysfunctions. A healthy accurate view of relationships in the Kingdom can be a great help to positive mental and emotional transformation in the life of a new believer.

I believe we should teach growing Christians in five areas of relationships with which to begin.

1. We should start with who Jesus is and who he is to us.
2. Next the new believer needs to be rooted and grounded in God’s love; what it is and what importance it has in our personal lives.
3. We need to teach new believers about freedom in the Kingdom. Not only teaching from what they are free but how to remain and live free.
4. New believers should be taught about God’s way in regard to relationships with people; both those inside and outside the Kingdom.
5. Last, no way least, the new believer needs to be taught how to walk with and in fellowship with God. Of course this requires understanding of our new nature and how to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to make a difference on the earth.

These are understandings that will facilitate spiritual growth. I submit them for your consideration. In upcoming posts I will go into more detail.

God Bless you. Have a great week.

In my meditations in God’s word I was revisiting Galatians 5:19-23. In this passage the evil works of the flesh are contrasted with the Fruit of the Spirit.

Sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery. idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like

versus

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control

As I considered these things it occurred to me that these things were reflections of a person’s relationship with God… but also it is true of a society, a country. It was as if the Lord was showing the riots and other evils as evidence of what our culture brought on itself by rejecting God and embracing the works of the flesh. As I looked at the evil works of the flesh, I saw how that was an exact picture of much of our society. I could not deny it. What is true of a person is true of a society for are not societies made up of many persons?

As I sadly considered this, a quiet voice said, “You know. My people have been praying. They have been repenting and seeking my face.” I was aware of my own prayers but at that time I was unaware of a larger prayer movement. But it was and is happening. The voice came again to my mind and asked,”What did I say would happen if my people would humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways?” And suddenly, I remembered 2 Chronicles 7:14 where God said “I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land”

A spirit of joy came upon me. I was encouraged but considered the efforts of evil men to shut out, to destroy the Kingdom of God. Suddenly as I considered the opposition. Psalms 2:1-4 came into my mind.

“Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One. Let us break their chains they say, and throw off their fetters. The ONE enthroned in heaven laughs. He scoffs at them.”

At this point I was rejoicing, seeing where this was going. But God was not done. He said, “You see all of the evil, all of the death. Can America be revived, revitalized? Again a passage of scripture came to my mind. (Ezekiel 37) Ezekiel was brought to a valley of dry bones. And he was asked a similar question to the one God asked me. “Son of man, can these bones live?

It did not appear possible, but with God, all things are possible. They came alive. If He can make a mighty army of dead, dry bones, he is well able to heal our land. Keep praying. Keep repenting. Keep seeking His face. For the sake of His people and to demonstrate His Kingdom and the truth of His Word, HE WILL HEAL OUR LAND.

Throughout the years God is always faithful!  Remember Jesus not only rose from the dead. He is alive…really Alive Now and He loves you.

Good and upright is the Lord therefore will He teach sinners in the way. Ps. 25:8

He loveth righteousness and judgment; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Ps. 33:5

 

O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him. Ps. 43:8

How good God is, not just good out there somewhere but good to us. He has always been that way. He was good to His people and delivered them from slavery. He was good to Daniel when He spared him in the Lion’s den. Jesus was good when He walked this earth. He was good when He cleansed the leper. He was good when He raised the dead. He was good when He blessed the children. He was good when he fed the hungry. He was, is, and ever shall be good.

Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you and you’ll experience His goodness to you.

We Christians call the sinners we know as evil, heathen, lost. But in John 3:17-18 Jesus calls them already condemned. His mission was and is to save them not condemn them.

Often when we quote Jesus we are called haters and condemners. But that is untrue. The hard sayings of Jesus were designed to warn, to save, not condemn. His motivating force was love not hate.

So must we walk and speak. If we are to be part of God’s work on the earth we must care about those already condemned and help them find the Way of escape.

Real care is evidenced by action. As James said we are to love in word and deed.

Just a short post today, but one, I think, is important. Often when reading a familiar passage of scripture I whiz right through. The Lord wants me to meditate on the Word.

For instance, John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son so that whoever would believe on Him would have everlasting life. The passage is so familiar things can slip by us.

To read is one thing to meditate, another. In this simple verse we get a glimpse of the greatness of God’s love…the greatness of our life opportunity. the more prayerful meditation, the more insight, the more it means to us.

Col. 1:27 includes the phrase Christ in you the hope of glory. It is another verse I needed to look at with more than just a passing interest. There is “hope of glory” but “Christ in you” was what the Lord wanted me to get more insight about. I would read it and think, “Praise God. When He comes we’ll be like Him…because of Christ in us.”  But Christ is in us now…for God’s purposes. What does that mean to you that Christ is in you…not metaphorically, or figuratively, but really?

Don’t skim scriptures. Really good stuff could slip past you.

You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.

The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock-the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.

Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.

You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.

The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways.

Then all the people of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lor, and they will fear you.

The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity-in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground-in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you.

The Lord will open the heavens, the store-house of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.

The Lord will make you the head and not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.    Deut. 28:3-13

In the old covenant God blessed his people. He constantly set them up and told them how they could be blessed. It is amazing to me that this side of the cross people disavow God as desiring to bless his people. Somehow religion has convinced people that the covenant in Jesus’ blood is inferior to covenants in the blood of animals in regards to God blessing us in this life. So strange! God still wants to bless his people in this life and its continuation after…life everlasting.

GOD BLESS YOU.

Let’s revisit some things God has done for those He loved. Remember the how He delivered the children of Israel from slavery, kept them through the wilderness, and helped them vanquish their enemies. He was so faithful! The three Hebrew children were protected from a fiery furnace. Daniel was protected in the lion’s den.

And then there is Jesus, God incarnate. How He expressed His care!  He raised a child from the dead. He healed the centurion’s servant. He healed the demoniac. He fed the multitude. He healed the blind. He cared and acted…until His ultimate act of caring at the cross.

This God we serve loves us and acts accordingly. All those expressions of His love and provisions should encourage us. He did not stop doing great things. He still loves His people and acts accordingly. Do not be surprised if He does great things for you.