Thanksgiving 2022

Best wishes on Thanksgiving Day. We had a wonderful time, and we hope you did, too. Now that the leftovers have been put away and the dishes have been washed, please take a little time to praise and thank God for all His blessings, and especially for giving His Son to wipe away our sins.

David’s Song of Thanks

Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;

make known his deeds among the peoples!

Sing to him, sing praises to him;

tell of all his wondrous works!

Glory in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!

Seek the LORD and his strength;

seek his presence continually!

Remember the wondrous works that he has done,

his miracles and the judgments he uttered,

O offspring of Israel his servant,

children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

(1Chronicles 16:10-13 ESV)

David’s Prayer

Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.

(1Chronicles 29:10-13 ESV)

Joy Comes in the Morning

A Psalm of David

Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,

and give thanks to his holy name.

For his anger is but for a moment,

and his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may tarry for the night,

but joy comes with the morning.

(Psalm 30:4-5 ESV)

A Psalm of Thanksgiving

His Love Endures Forever

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!

Serve the LORD with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the LORD, he is God!

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the LORD is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations.

(Psalm 100 ESV)

Jesus Gave Thanks

And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 

(Matthew 15:35-37 ESV)

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

(Matthew 26:26-29 ESV)

Give Thanks for Redemption, the Forgiveness of Sins

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:9-14 ESV)

Give Thanks in All Circumstances

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.

(1Thessalonians 5:16-19 ESV)

Thanksgiving in Heaven

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created.”

(Revelation 4:9-11 ESV) *

* All of the verses shown above were copied from: https://biblehub.com/

Jesus Restores Peter

Once when I had lost my way, I prayed that God would show me His will.  Then I began reading, in the Gospel According to John, the account of how Simon Peter was restored to fellowship.  It answered my prayer. 

The Bible tells us that after Jesus arose from the grave, he appeared to the eleven and to others on several occasions.  We have a record of one such appearing in the 21^st Chapter of John: 

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way.  Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.  Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 

Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.  Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.”  He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.  That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.  The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. 

When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread.  Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”  So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.  Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.  Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.  This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. 

Jesus and Peter 

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”  He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”  He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.  Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”  (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” (John 21:1-19 ESV) * 

Reading these verses began a slow process of change by which the Holy Spirit eventually turned me away from the sinful life I was living.  Praise God for answered prayer. 

Any reading of scripture is beneficial, but the Holy Bible is high, wide, and very deep. The more carefully you dig into it, the more you find.  Looking casually into this passage, the reader may wonder why Jesus asked Peter three times whether Peter loved Him.  I suppose that is okay if it is just curiosity, but we must guard against passing judgement on the Lord’s methods.  It is important to remember He is God, and we are not. 

The Bible does not tell us why Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Do you love me?” three times.  However, there is a television documentary series called Drive Thru History by Dave Stotts, in which he gives a plausible explanation.  In Season 4 entitled The Gospels, and Episode 17 called The Resurrection, Mr. Stotts points out that, while Christ was on trial before He was crucified, Peter denied that he even knew Jesus three times.  Stotts indicates that may be why our Lord asked Peter to affirm his love three times. 

It is commonly agreed that Jesus was also restoring Simon Peter to fellowship by asking him to declare his devotion.  Then Jesus reinstated his ability to minister by telling him to care for the flock three times.  Moreover, as when Peter was first called, Jesus told him to “Follow me.” 

Like Peter, Jesus calls us back after we fall.  He did it for Peter, He did it for me, and He will do it for you. 

 

* https://biblehub.com/esv/john/21.htm

Giving Thanks

Let’s remember to give thanks to our Lord for His goodness to us: 

Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 

So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. 

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,  and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. 

So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”  And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:11-19 NKJV) *

 

*  https://biblehub.com/nkjv/luke/17.htm

 

Veterans' Day 2022

It is Veterans’ Day, and we want to thank all of our veterans for their service to our country, and by extension to each and every one of us as individuals.  We owe you a debt that cannot be repaid.  We owe you our freedom. 

Out of deep respect to the millions of Americans who have served in the US Military, and with a sincere desire to correct the disingenuous image of veterans being foisted on the public by the entertainment industry and others, please allow me to present what most veterans are not: 

Most veterans are not unable to readjust to civilian life.  They return home, find jobs, build families, pay taxes, and are good neighbors. 

Some veterans suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and should get all the help we can give them.  Most veterans, however, are as mentally and emotionally stable as the general population. 

The rate of suicide among veterans is higher than their fellow citizens.  Again, those who are at risk should get all the help we can give.  It remains true, though, that most veterans are not self-destructive. 

Most veterans have not been trained as snipers or martial arts experts.  Most military occupations are in areas like communications, logistics, medical services, food service, transportation, law, construction, meteorology, computer science, intelligence, and so on.  For every service member in a combat unit, there are seven or more in occupations that support them. 

A few veterans find employment with companies that provide contract services that supplement military activities.  Most veterans do not. 

As a group, veterans do not usually become involved in criminal activities.  The fact that they have military training does not pose a threat to society. 

There are inducements provided for military service like the GI Bill, early retirement, reenlistment bonuses, and home loan guarantees.  People do things for more than one reason.  Like me, the majority of veterans joined the military to serve America.  The benefits are a consideration, but you have to love our country to volunteer to be separated from your family, endure harsh living conditions, live in foreign countries, get bossed around, and risk getting wounded or killed. 

Most veterans do not end up being homeless.  The majority do not become alcoholics or drug addicts.  All the help we can give should be given to those that do, but routinely and continually portraying veterans as dirty, ragged, addicts and vagrants is an injustice. 

We also owe a debt of gratitude to veterans’ families.  Their lives are disrupted, and they serve, too.  It is unfair for them to frequently be portrayed as dysfunctional.  Some family members become emotional when interviewed about the hardships they endure.  They have earned the right.  Most just make the best of it, and they deserve all the honor and recognition we can give them. 

There is a lot more that might be said, but I won’t belabor the point.  All I want is for the readers’ consciousness to be raised.  When we hear a distorted version of reality over and over, we begin to accept it as the truth.  Some in the media may think they are doing a service by bringing our attention to the problems some veterans face.  However, they need to put it in perspective, so that they do not paint all veterans with the same brush.  Sadly, many in the media, politics, and the entertainment industry stereotype veterans in a derogatory way for their own personal gain.

 

Immortality Awaits Those Who Believe in Jesus Christ

     “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.  Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,  because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.  For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.  Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”

     “Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.  For we live by faith, not by sight.  We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.  So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.”  (2 Corinthians 5:1-9 NIV) *

 * https://biblehub.com/niv/2_corinthians/5.htm

 

A Prayer for Persecuted Christians

Oh Lord and Heavenly Father,

we praise Your Holy Name.

Please forgive our sins and hear our prayer.

 

We ask you, Dear Lord,

to be with persecuted Christians around the world.

Please sustain them, Lord,

and give them the courage, strength and faith to endure the persecution

that comes upon them for their testimony about Jesus Christ.

 

We pray that when we are tested,

You will provide us with the resolve and perseverance

to endure it as well as our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world

are enduring persecution for Your Name’s sake.

 

We pray that the example set by persecuted Christians

will be a witness that is used by the Holy Spirit

to call many to be saved.

 

Dear Heavenly Father,

please forgive those who are persecuting Christians.

They do not understand that what they are doing is an offense to You.

Please help the persecutors learn that You do not want them try to serve You

by harming others - mentally, emotionally, or physically.

Please bring them to a saving faith in You, Lord Jesus.

These things we ask in Jesus’ Name,

 

Amen

 

International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians

The Voice of the Martyrs ministry says that, 6 November 2022, is an International Day of Prayer for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted and martyred around the world.  Please join me in prayer for persecuted Christians who are being beaten, disowned by family, dispossessed, expelled from their communities, interrogated, arrested, imprisoned and killed for attending church, owning a Bible, and witnessing for their Lord and ours.

Thank you.