Saying Good-Bye to November

Saying Good-Bye to November

“I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”   Psalm 34:4

I glanced at the calendar this week and was shocked to see we were at the end of November. My mind skipped back over this year; Easter, Memorial Day, 4^th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving were all past.  Now I was facing “December”!  It had been such a busy year that the thought of Christmas was looming up in front of me.  What was I to do?  My mind quickly went to gifts for my immediate family; my extended family and friends and on and on and on.

December stood before me like a giant Santa Claus waiting for me to fill his bag.  I tried to write a list of everyone I had bought gifts for last year and then tried to think of what I could get each one this year.  It gave me a brain freeze to the point I couldn’t think of a single thing for any of them. 

“Calm down”, I told myself, “It isn’t quite December 1^st yet and then I have 25 days left.”  I put down my pen and paper and walked away from my desk.  However, I just couldn’t get it out of my mind.  I sat down in my favorite chair to mull this over in my mind.  Why wasn’t I like some people I know; they shopped all year and were now ready for the big 25^th.  I realized I was actually feeling anxious.

Then a scripture came to mind, “I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears.”  Yes, it said ‘all my fears’. That means anything that causes you to be anxious, God will set your mind at ease and calm your fears. 

I chuckled to myself that I would get upset over the thought of Christmas, although it would have been nice for November to have held on a little longer.  The more I thought about it, the foolisher I felt. [I don’t think ‘foolisher is a word] I have trusted God for everything in my life including many big things and he has never disappointed me.  I also thought about a verse in Philippians 4:6, where it says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

That did it; what I really should be thinking about is that Jesus, God’s only Son, came to earth for me and all of you so we might have eternal life.  Since when has buying gifts and giving parties and every other thing we celebrate become the most important thing about Christmas?  First of all the stores were filled with everything ‘Christmas’ before Thanksgiving.  Before Thanksgiving so many were getting ready for ‘Black Friday’.  People hurried to get Thanksgiving over so they could go shopping.

Another thing was instead of waiting for ‘Black Friday’, several stores opened on Thanksgiving so they could rob us of enjoying it and giving thanks to God for what He has given us all year.  What a ploy Satan has put before us.  I looked up the full meaning of ‘ploy’:  “A cunning plan or action designed to turn a situation to one's own advantage.”  Satan will use whatever he can to get our mind off the most important event in all of history, Jesus Christ was born to save us from our sins! 

Well, I for one, have decided I’m not buying it;  Jesus is the only Reason for this Season and I’m planning on spending it to talk about Him, share with others about Him and let my love of God shine before all my friends and family.  Oh, yes, Satan will be madder than all get-out, but that’s alright because the Lord goes before me and he’s my rear guard. 

I’m playing Christmas music all day; when I have time, I’ll think about gifts.  I already bought subscriptions to Guideposts magazines for most of my family members.  This is not a commercial, but this gift shows them Jesus for each month of the year.  I pray that God will use it to encourage them to walk closer with Him.  I am actually looking forward to sending Christmas cards this year.  I had to ask the Lord to forgive me for not putting Him first and thank Him for all he has done for me and especially for His Salvation. 

Good-bye November and welcome December!  Turn up the music, give God the glory and go into December with a heart filled with Joy.  Jesus was born; let’s celebrate!

  

  

 “Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.”               Luke 1:30-31 

Give Thanks

Give Thanks

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 136:1

Over the years I’ve written several stories and poems about Thanksgiving; some funny and some nostalgic and some spiritual.  We all know why Thanksgiving is a holiday and the history behind it such as the story of the Pilgrims and Indians so what can I say about Thanksgiving that’s different? We’ve heard all the sermons about a thankful heart and to give thanks in all circumstances. Why is it so important to understand scripturally what thanksgiving means?    

In the NKJ version of the Bible, the word ‘thanksgiving’ is used 31 times and ‘give thanks’ is used 75 times. The number of uses seems to give these words a great deal of importance.  Why should we be so thankful when there are times that nothing seems to work out, nor do we see God’s hand in action in our lives? 

            First of all, we need to be thankful for all the amazing things God has created and all the things he has done; even giving life to us humans.  Psalm 26:7 says, “That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Your wondrous works.”  Where would we be without the sun and the moon; the oceans, lakes and rivers; the green fields to grow food; the animals and birds; the fish of the sea?  These are the physical things to give thanks for.  Also included in His wondrous works are spiritual things such as salvation and eternal life; the fruit of the Spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”  Galations 5:22-23 

            Secondly, Psalm 97:12 “Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.” This scripture is very interesting because it tells the believer (righteous) that when we remember the Lord, which should be quite often, we should give thanks!  As a believer, I think about the Lord all through the day, but don’t always say ‘thank you, Lord’ when I do think of Him.  And yet the bible clearly states that we should.  I have a feeling if we did that; we would receive a great blessing as well as a closer walk with Him – the Lover of our soul.

            Thirdly , when we have a great need we must call out to God, the Father in prayer and supplication, which most Christians do.  However there is one key we may omit in these prayers.

Phil 4: 6 tells us what that key is, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”  We may be desperate in giving God our requests, but how often do we approach Him with thanksgiving at these times.  How often do we become so involved our troubles that giving thanks never enters the picture?

            Fourthly, we must be thankful to God even when facing death because we love God more than ourselves, like Daniel did.  Daniel 6:10 “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days”  Daniel just received the news that anyone found praying to God rather than King Darius would be thrown to the lions.  Was Daniel just trying to be a martyr?  No, he trusted our heavenly Father and gave him thanks whether or not he survived. Give me that kind of courage, Lord, to give thanks and rejoice in God, the Father in times of facing illness or death.  That is the mark of a true Believer.

            So this Thanksgiving Day, when we set down to an abundant table with family and friends, let our Thanksgiving not be just for the food, but for all God has done for us from the beginning.  Be thankful for His Word [The Bible], because in it you will find everything and every answer to life’s problems.

This song puts it so well:  “Give Thanks”

Give thanks with a grateful heart, Give thanks unto the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son.

Give thanks, Give thanks.

The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.   Romans 14:17

What is the Kingdom of God?  Is it in heaven or is it on earth?  These are some questions people ask when the Bible speaks many times about the Kingdom of God.  My first thought was that at the end of the Tribulation, when Jesus would come to rule and reign on this earth that the Kingdom of God would be established.  Let’s look at a couple of scriptures regarding the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God has always been planned and we can see this in Daniel 2:44, “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”  Daniel lived in Old Testament times and was called to King Belteshazzar who wanted Daniel to interpret his dream.  The dream showed many kings to come during times ahead.  This is what Daniel was referring to when this verse spoke of ‘in the days of these kings’.  Then he tells of a day coming when God will set up a kingdom that will stand forever.

Going on into the New Testament, in the book of Matthew 3:1-2, it says that “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"  What does that mean, ‘it’s at hand’? It means ‘near’.  How could that be near; we haven’t seen it yet?  No and it won’t happen until after the Tribulation. The Bible is written for a future time when all of the prophecies will come to pass.  I believe that time is not far off.  In the meantime, we need to go about our lives as usual.

 The finality of all this is when the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven and earthly kings and kingdoms no longer exist. “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" [Revelation 11:15]  This is when the Kingdom of God becomes the only Kingdom on earth. 

This Kingdom is where you will want to be, but there is something you need to do to be a part of it.  Step I is praying to God and confessing your sins and asking forgiveness.  Step 2 is believing that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died on the cross for you. Step 3 is to ask him into your heart and accept him as your Lord and Savior.  You may have heard that before, but that isn’t where it ends.

If you are really sorry for your past sins, you will “Repent”.  That means to change; to turn your life around and stop sinning.  Every person knows right from wrong so there is no excuse.  There is a better life for you if you make that decision.

God wants to have everyone to be in His Kingdom, but he left the choice up to us.  Don’t wait!  The Kingdom of God is not far off.

As a Deer Longs for Water

As a Deer Longs for Water

“As a deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God.” Psalm 42:1

As a believer we go to church on Sundays and sing songs of praise, listen to some scriptures and join in prayer.  That may be enough for you, but is it enough for God?  Of course we can pray anytime, but does Sunday service keep you going for the rest of the week?  Does one shot of the Holy Spirit on Sunday keep you strong for the things you may have to face during the days to come, especially if you only come once a month or so?

If we had the common sense of an animal, we would long for what will sustain us in all things; “O God, You are my God; early will I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1)  I want to be thirsty for God and drink from his well that never runs dry. It’s amazing how God uses natural examples like the deer.  When a deer is wounded, it will use all its strength to get to water.  Why? Because if a wound is not fatal and the deer can reach water, it will kill the fever and the deer will heal.  A deer will travel a great distance to reach water because it is life saving for man and beast.

The day I accepted Jesus as my Savior I became so thirsty for the Word of God.  My soul ached with a longing to know more about Him.  I began to read the Bible day and night and I can only compare it to being hungry.  I was like a starving person eating the Word as quickly as I could.  I read the New Testament in a matter of a few days and then the Old Testament which took a little longer and then started over again.  My Bible was a King James which can be a little difficult to understand, but God gave me supernatural understanding.  It was amazing because before that I couldn’t understand most of it.  I attended Sunday School as a child and knew most of the Bible stories but I didn’t know the truth behind the stories.

So I bought a Living Bible and read that all the way through.  This Bible was like reading poetry and I loved it so much because I have been a poet since I was 9 years old and was first published.  Looking back on those poems I wrote as a child, almost all of them were about God and some were quite prophetic.  I think I was always looking and longing for God, but in my teenage years the world had a greater hold on me.  However, the Lord never gave up and though I always knew God and never doubted Jesus was his son, it took several years for me to commit my life to Him.

We should all be thirsting for more of God; for a more personal relationship with Him.  When you quit longing for God, the river quits flowing.  It doesn’t happen all at once, it slowly ebbs away and your longing for more of God also fades away.  Just like the deer who longs for water and goes any distance to find it, this is the same for us.  We must search for that which will sustain us. The day will come when you realize only God can sustain you.

For generations my family have been hunters and know and understand that God has given us wild life for food and the knowledge that hunting certain animals for food is a natural way for man to survive.  It is also a way to keep balance in nature.  This is the way in the animal world; animals kill each other to survive and if this didn’t happen, the animals would take over the world.  What chaos that would be.  This is how the creatures of the seas survive and yet they also provide food for humans. 

God uses these beautiful, gentle creatures like the deer to show us how we must prepare to reach the life-saving water of the Holy Spirit.  Look what is waiting for you, “But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” John 4:14 (NLT) Why should we long so much for a drink of water? In John 7:37-38 Jesus was teaching a crowd of people and offering them another opportunity to receive Salvation.  This is the way he offered it, “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”  This refers to the Holy Spirit who had not yet come.

This is a valid reason to long for Living Water, because we all need the Holy Spirit to survive in this lost and dying world.  Jesus knew when he gave his life for us that we would need a Comforter; a Helper who would remain with us until the end of time.  The Holy Spirit guides us and “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.”  [John 16:8]  He will make men realize their sinfulness and feel guilt for their misdeeds. The Holy Spirit is the Living Water!  Therefore, you can see why it is so important to long for, and thirst for this water of life we so desperately need. 

This powerful verse in the Book of Revelation keeps the door open for those who thirst after the Lord, “And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.”  Amen!