Category: Thanksgiving

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What Ever Happened to Forgiveness?

For November 21, 2021
When we are offended, our “normal” reaction is to retaliate; this is because our normal thought process tends to go something like, “I can’t let that person ‘disrespect’ me.” However, due to the presence of sin in the world—and in our hearts—we all have ‘disrespected’ (or offended) someone, whether the act was intentional or not, just as Romans 3:10 reminds us, “There is none righteous, no, not one.”

Disrespect was not on the menu some four-hundred years ago, between the early settlers of the Plymouth Colony and the Native Americans who came together for a harvest celebration feast, which has since become our Thanksgiving Holiday celebration.

People from varying races and cultures can gather when we understand the complexity and depth of God’s love for us, as He chose to reconcile a sin-cursed humanity to Himself. Thus, though His Spirit working in and through us, we can celebrate our diversity by treating each other with the utmost respect, dignity, acceptance, and honor.

The world craves this unifying message of acceptance of others through Christ, which offers us a glimpse of what Heaven will be like with its rich diversity of people united under the lordship of Jesus Christ. John saw our future in this context, while he was on the Isle of Patmos,

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man [or woman] could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. Revelation 7:9–10 (AKJV)

Because we are all precious in the sight of the Lord, we can view each other through His loving eyes. Although love can name our emotional attraction towards someone or something, the Lord established a “new” love when He commanded us to love (Greek: agape) each other unselfishly, just as He loves us.1 His Spirit enables us to express this selfless, pure love consistently, which will confirm we belong to the Lord.

We can express His love as we yield to His Spirit, who instinctively responds to others through us in the ways that serve their best interests. In our strength alone, we are incapable of this altruistic love.

Our human love is inadequate because, with it, we always want to know “What’s in it for us?” before we respond. But God demonstrated His unselfish love in Christ toward us, and now He empowers and mandates us to share it with other people.

The Lord Jesus Christ supplies us with His unquenchable desire to forgive, reconcile, and extend ourselves. This is the “most excellent way” that Paul outlines in 1 Corinthians 13 (Love Chapter).

This unselfish love is patient and kind. It is always at work, seeking opportunities to show kindness on our behalf when we are ready to receive. This love is not jealous, boastful, proud, or rude (v. 4).

Possessiveness or irritability is never present because the giver is never concerned about what the recipient does or does not do “to deserve it.” Otherwise, it is no longer love, but it becomes a loan instead.

Love does not demand its own way; it is not irritable and keeps no record of wrongs (v. 5). It is not glad about injustice but is glad when the truth wins out (v. 6). Here, we do not rejoice when wicked triumphs. Our concern is for everyone because we know as one suffers, we all suffer.

Love never gives up, it never loses faith, it is ever hopeful, and it endures (v. 7). Of these three, faith, hope, and love, the greatest of these is love (v 13).

Love is not abstract, but practical, in the sense we do not perform it in secret but extend it in our acceptance, benevolence, and forgiveness toward others. We can forgive and forget offenses because God forgave and forgot ours when His Son sacrificed His life for us at Calvary some two-thousand years ago.

The Lord commands us to express His kindness toward others, especially those who need our forgiveness; this is not easy. Yet, Jesus warns it is required to secure God’s forgiveness for our offenses,

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15 (NKJV)

Jesus’ words imply that we extend forgiveness equally; to those who ask for forgiveness as well as to those who do not ask us for forgiveness.

To forgive means we do not use social media to degrade or humiliate the people we want to “pay back” someone for hurts we’ve perceived or experienced personally. God holds us accountable for our malevolence, whether malicious or in jest. Because we would not want someone to degrade or humiliate us even if they felt justified doing it.

To forgive also means we do not keep a record of past wrongs as some self-appointed vigilante. If all of us did this, there would be no one left standing since we are equal debtors. The Lord Jesus rightly says in John 8:7 (NIV), “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone.”

In addition, to forgive means we do not lash out verbally or physically when someone cuts in front of us when we are standing in line, or we are in traffic. We extend grace to the other person as our equal who happens to be sharing a very brief “flash” of our space and time, compared to the vast eternity that lies before us all.

I’ve noticed an increase in social and political attacks against elected officials when the Bible teaches in Romans 13 that we are to pray for and support them, even when they do not share our political views or ideology. We should extend the same radical forgiveness we’ve received from the Lord to all other areas of our daily, human interaction.

As Christians who have been saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, we have experienced God’s love and forgiveness and can share it with others. In this way, we can perform the “ministry of reconciliation” presented in 2 Corinthians 5:18 where God reconciled us to Himself through Christ and empowers us to reconcile with others.

The process of forgiveness will also help us participate in a lifelong process of emotional, psychological, and spiritual wholeness much needed in today’s troubled and very troubled world as it allows us to demonstrate His Fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT), love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Won’t you practice forgiveness, and exponentially enhance the flavor of this wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday? We sure could use it today!

What a Wonderful Savior!

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Have Faith In God!

For November 14, 2021
I’ve often wondered if we should have Christian faith registered as an endangered species. For many, our confidence is no longer God-based but human-based instead. Our modern world seems to be far more obsessed with what we can accomplish though intellect, technology, and human prowess and less insistent about praying first, and then trusting Him to resolve our problems.

This is what the LORD says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the LORD.”  Jeremiah 17:5 (NLT)

Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that we cannot please God without having faith in Him—first. It also tells us that we must not only believe that God exists. We must also believe that He will reward all who sincerely seek after Him. Here in this chapter, we learn that by faith:

    • Abel brought an acceptable offering to God and gave evidence that he was a righteous man.
    • Enoch was taken up to Heaven without experiencing death as God took him.
    • Noah built an ark to save his family from the flood that covered the earth.
    • Abraham obeyed God and left his home to another land that God would give him and his descendants. His was a redeeming faith that God attributed righteousness. His wife, Sarah was able to have a child at an advanced age of 90 years of age, (while Abraham was 100), such that the whole nation of Israel would come from them.
    • Ruth, who was a foreigner, became not only a blessing to her mother-in-law, Naomi, but also became part of the lineage of King David and Jesus Christ.
    • David, who believed God would sustain him in battle against Goliath, and with a sling and five smooth stones, he delivered God’s chosen people from a fierce enemy.
    • Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua and the Children of Israel who marched around Jericho and saw God make the walls come down. Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets who,

Overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death…All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us. Hebrews 11:33-40 (NLT)

Faith does not exclude common sense or logic. But it does require that we not rely on our senses exclusively but trust the Lord for the proper solution, when we’ve reached the extent of our human capabilities. In other words, we should  be willing to take a “leap of faith” by relying upon God, our Supreme Spiritual Reality who cannot be proven scientifically or explained logically—especially when He accomplishes His miraculous works for us in an answer to prayer.

Years ago, a very popular phrase encouraged us to rely on the Lord for everything: “Let go and let God!” This phrase has been made relative and meaningful due to the six-thousand years of recorded human history where the Lord has proven Himself to be the answer to every question, and the solution to every problem.

The Lord said that we could move mountains and that nothing would be impossible with faith the size of a mustard seed. To gauge the quantity or fervor of our faith, we should not rely on our feelings and circumstances because faith is a mystery that is essential to our human experience.

Isaiah pondered the elusiveness of redeeming faith when he asked in Isaiah 53:1, “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?” This age-old question presents us with what defines redemptive faith, which has one object: Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of Man and perfect Son of God.

Through our faith (and repentance), we can approach Jesus Christ with a broken and contrite heart. Then He gives us a complete spiritual overhaul, a restored fellowship with God, and an abundant life that lasts forever.

The Bible teaches that human life is sustained by blood, which God uses to remediate sin (Leviticus 17:11 and Hebrews 9:22). A sinless Jesus Christ shed His blood to pay the price for our sins—past, present, and future. The Bible teaches us that we can trust in the Lord, and rely on Him to solve our problems and meet our needs,

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT )

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 (NLT)

We can have faith in God because He is omnipotent; having all power, omniscient; having all knowledge, and omnipresent; fully present everywhere at the same time. He’s also sovereign; in full control over Heaven and earth, but most of all, He is holy, loving, good, faithful, and true; He cares for His precious children and provides abundantly for them as well. Our God is an awesome God. Won’t you put your faith in Him today?

What a Wonderful Savior!

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Then Pie Is My Favorite Dessert!

For January 10, 2021
Over the past two months, much pie has been consumed during the truncated Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. For many of us, losing the weight we’ve gained from the various meals and celebrations—even though modified—is a perennial New Year’s resolution. Pie is a culprit! Although it is customary to have pie or any dessert following the meal, I tend to have it with the meal to be enjoyed simultaneously!

Speaking of pie, there are those who characterize the Christian faith as merely a “pie-in-the-sky” religion. To these people, all we Christians have is eternal bliss in Heaven. But we have nothing to look forward to receiving in this life. For them, God is dead and the Christian faith is irrelevant.

I beg to differ, because our Christian faith produces a life of abundance (John 10:10), which begins the moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and it continues for all eternity. In fact, we who embrace the Christian faith have considerable treasures to gain in this life and the next,

The incentive to win is in the glorious perspective we have because we are “looking unto Jesus.” “Looking away from all else, looking at that which fills the heart.” We are going to run, not because of the prize at the end and not because so many illustrious saints have run the course in the past and have been gloriously crowned, but because the vision of Jesus thrills the soul.2

One of our most treasured possessions—given exclusively to Christians—is the gift of the Holy Spirit. He inhabits and keeps us through the good times of bliss as well as those unfortunate times of uncertainty. He never leaves or forsakes us; cheering our hearts with unspeakable love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control as Galatians 5:22—23 teaches.

Did someone say peace of mind? We Christians are blessed to have the Holy Spirit provide incredible peace of mind—even during uncertain moments—that provides us with comfort and fulfillment that never ends.

This alone, makes our Christian life more valuable than any commodity on the earth, and it certainly makes the Christian life worth living “in real-time” in 2021 as Jesus teaches,

Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be (Matthew 6:19—21 NLT).

The joy He sustains within us is never whimsical. It is always at work within us to remind us of how the Lord supplies us with His incredible goodness and mercy every day.

As the Almighty God in Spirit, He is fully capable of purifying, revealing, strengthening, encouraging, and keeping us throughout our life’s journey. He is much more than just our Comforter who “seals” our redemption and secures our heavenly home. He gives us eternal life, direction, purpose, and meaning.

He secures our eternal life in Heaven where there is no more pain, sorrow, or disease and where all our wants, needs, and desires are satisfied in their fullest measure. There, we will thrive in the holy presence of our Lord, along with our departed loved ones, and those precious Saints who have gone before us in a blessed, sinless state of perfect innocence, peace, tranquility, and safety forever.

If all these are pie-in-the-sky, then pie is my favorite dessert. How about you?

What a Wonderful Savior!

 

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Let The Redeemed Of The Lord Say So!

For January 3, 2021
2020 was a remarkable and most regrettable year with a global pandemic (hysteria vs fact), unlawful church shutdowns, business shutdowns and other intrusions on our personal freedoms; the politicization of medical treatment and vaccines, social, political, and racial unrest, the quest for political power and social activism by “any means necessary,” selective censorship by the media, escalation of senseless and brutal violence, and excessive government restrictions. When will it end?

Modernist who declare there is no God, insist that humanity is evolving for the better. Soon all people on earth will share in a perfect utopia where love, peace, and harmony will reign supreme.

Unfortunately, as 2020 proved most emphatically, we humans are not evolving for the better. Instead, we have an inherent “sin problem” that causes us to think, speak, and act in ways that are detrimental to others, for which there is no human remedy!

Human beings are morally and spiritually bankrupt. Thus, we will not become “good” people over time. Although sin is making us progressively worse and disqualifies us from eternal fellowship with our holy God, we can find comfort in the telling and encouraging words that have been spoken and sung for more than two-thousand years,

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,  And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; They found no city to dwell in.  Hungry and thirsty, Their soul fainted in them. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, And He delivered them out of their distresses.  And He led them forth by the right way, That they might go to a city for a dwelling place. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness (Psalm 107:1—9 NKJV).

The Lord is good and His mercy endures forever. There is a blessed hope and bright future for those of us who understand and acknowledge our sin problem by recognizing that we “wander in the wilderness in a desolate way.”

In addition, our souls fainted in us because we were spiritually separated from God forever. We lived desperate lives on earth now, and we were subject to eternal torment in a fiery Hell later. Then, in desperation, we cried out to the Lord and He delivered us.

We who turn to Jesus Christ for mercy can experience His spiritual transformation as His Holy Spirit removes our sin problem forever while imparting within us the ability to think, speak, and act in ways that honor the Lord instead of the Enemy (Satan) to the benefit of others and ourselves.

Jesus Christ also supplies us with a new righteous standing before God which allows us eternal access to all that God has to offer to secure our well-being forever. He also gives us a new lifestyle that seeks His Kingdom and righteousness first and foremost. Then having been sealed by His Spirit, we have access to Heaven upon our death or at His triumphant and glorious return.

In spite of the sinful tendencies of this world and those who know not Christ, we who know the Lord have a blessed hope, an all-encompassing joy, a deep sustaining peace, and a bright eternal future that cannot be taken from us,

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:28,31,35—39).

We are the living testimonies of God’s goodness, grace, and mercy. He is faithful and will never break His promises or providence towards us. We can give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, and His mercy endures forever; let the redeemed of the Lord say so.

What a Wonderful Savior!

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Happy New Year!

For January 1, 2021
Today, people around the world will welcome a new year. With each successive year of the Gregorian Calendar, proposed in 1582 to compensate for the solar year drift of the Julian Calendar, which was instituted around 45   before the birth of Christ (B.C.), we note the time that has passed since the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The term B.C. is used to designate the time before the birth of Christ from the time after His birth, referred to as Anno Domini (A.D.), which is Latin for, “In the year of our Lord.” The time since Jesus’ birth is also referred to as the Common, Current, or Christian Era (C.E.).

Numbering these calendar years is appropriate for paying our respects to the most influential person in human history. In other words, this year, we acknowledge that two-thousand and twenty-one years have passed since the birth of Jesus Christ (although many scholars place His birth somewhere around 4 BC).

We make this distinction because only through Jesus Christ can we, as sin-scarred humans, be reconciled to our holy God. We benefit from Jesus’ atoning work, not by trying to perform good deeds, but by placing our faith in the redeeming works He still performs to God on our behalf.

      • His perfect life satisfies all God’s requirements for conformity to God’s holy Law.
      • His sacrificial death at Calvary remains our perfect sacrifice to absolve us from our sin.
      • Jesus’ resurrection secures God’s acceptance of His redeeming work; now we can have full confidence that He is our accepted way to God, and
      • His ascension, His Spirit, His intercession, and His glorious return provide all the spiritual graces we will ever need to fully experience His abundant life—now and forever.

The Lord promises to embrace us with His eternal power and providence when we surrender to Him. Then we can find the rest that completely satisfies and refreshes our eternal souls,

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28 NIV).

2020 was a difficult year for many. If you are looking for consolation, hope and a new beginning, let me suggest,

      • Others have failed you, so give your heart to Jesus Christ. He never fails!
      • Stop trusting in your human abilities alone. They are finite while God is infinite. Instead, turn to the Lord, and trust in Him completely.
      • Surrender to Jesus Christ so that you can experience and enjoy the fulfilling life of purpose, freedom, and victory He freely gives to all those who trust Him.

When our New Year’s resolutions are Christ centered and God honoring, He performs His perfect work in our hearts, minds, souls. Only then can we truly have a Happy New Year!

What a Wonderful Savior!

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