Thanksgiving!

‬‬  “in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭18

As we get more into November we get closer to the first of our “big” holidays.  Thanksgiving.  I can remember my parents and their generation often saying how they liked Thanksgiving most of all.  As a child or teen I couldn’t figure that out.  Especially the work put into Thanksgiving dinner.  We had a large extended family with lots of cousins.  So we just played all day while the adults worked hard in the kitchen.  We often gathered at our Grandparents home. We looked at thanksgiving as the countdown to Christmas.  As a child that was exciting.  

But then I became an adult.  And we had a son of our own.  And our parents became the grandparents.  Many of our aunts and uncles have passed away.  Our cousins having their own extended families.  We all were going in different directions.  Those were the days I longed for the older days.  I missed the gatherings with our large family. I then understood why they were more excited for thanksgiving.  Reliving those days of long ago when we were all together.  

I find myself today wishing for the same with our son and his family.  But he lives a great distance from us.  Two full days of travel.  It hasn’t worked out for us to get there for the major holidays.  Thanksgiving and Christmas!  And we sure miss them.  

However, just because we are miles apart, we can still make our holidays special.  We still have family close by.  And every holiday with them we cherish all the more.  

So as we gather together with those we love, let’s give thanks to Jesus for the family He has given us. 

Let’s honor Him with our conversations, mannerisms, generosity, and praise.  He is our Father in heaven.  And we should have His place setting at the head of our tables.  He has given us so very much.  We can at least invite Him to dinner.  

I pray for you all, faithful readers, that as you gear up for a wonderful season with family, near and far, you feel the love of family.  The love Jesus has for us during these  special times ahead.  Let it warm your hearts and fill you with an abundance of “Thanksgiving “.  

TIME TO PRAY AND ACT!

The times of change in a year we call seasons. When the leaves change colors in the fall we notice God’s beauty He has painted for us.  The natural beauty that occurs every year.  Then we get the first snowfall. Most of us will agree that it looks so peaceful and pristine.  For the first day anyway .  Then usually only halfway through winter we are anxious for the first signs of spring to appear. We look for the first green blade of grass to appear. We look closely for the first little flowers to pop up out of the dirt.  Then pretty soon we are snipping us a bouquet from the spring flowers.  We see new growth, and new birth with wildlife and little songbirds.  So delightful.  And finally, summer appears.   More flowers, more birds, some wildlife that can cause some destruction, some bees to pollinate, and beautiful skies to look at in the evening.  It all sounds beautiful and heavenly.  Then in an instant we hear the news, we try to fill our vehicle with gas, and pay an unbelievable amount for butter, eggs, milk, and the rest of our groceries while trying to choose only healthy options.  Reality hits us hard at times.  

Oh and there is more.  In just a couple of weeks we have the privilege of voting for men and women into the public offices that need filling.  By now most of us know who we are voting for.  I hope we all have prayed hard about our decisions.  Do not trust in everything you read and hear in the news.  But trust in our Lord Jesus in whom we pray to. He is in control.  But remember, we must ask Him.  He is not going to come barging in and make everything new and perfect unless we ask Him.  Why not?  Because He has given us the gift of praying for our needs and asking Him to help us, guide us, lead us, and save us.  He has said in Scripture to humble ourselves, seek him, and pray.  Then He will heal our land. And boy does our land need healing.

I encourage all of you, pray, seek His face, repent and humble ourselves.  And take action.  Yes take action.  He has not made us to be lazy and lethargic in our daily walk.  But to get up, get moving, and take action. This is our land God created.  This is our home for now.  Let’s come together and do what is best for our land and our people.  

I will not tell you how to vote.  That is God’s place, not mine.  But I will encourage you to pray and take action.  Vote.  Trust and believe God will take care of us.  

“and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”

‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭7‬:‭14‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

The New Jerusalem, Heaven

 Revelation 21:9-27

The New Jerusalem, and Heaven. What will it be like?  The Scriptures tell us it will be glorious.  Beautiful colors of violet and white.  Streets lined with gold. And chairs made from cedars of Lebanon, seats of purple.  

For the last six or more weeks we have watched our landscape turn from green to beautiful colors of yellow, gold, orange, various shades of red, along with the left over greens and browns.  The colors have been stunning.  How can someone say God doesn’t exist, or He doesn’t care about us. Just look around.  Quietly sit and relax.  Take it all in.  Our God is a big God, who loves us with everything He has.  So much so that He paints our landscape, our trees, and even our horizons with beautiful sunsets and sunrises.  We have even had an extra treat this year.  It was about midway through summer, into September and October, we had the pleasure of seeing the “Northern Lights “ from our own backyards, parks, streets, and so on. This is the first time in all of my life that I have seen the beautiful dancing of the Aurora Borealis across our sky in the Northeast USA. My whole life.  I was thrilled, I felt flabbergasted.  Me, just a very tiny spec in this vast universe we live in.  And God let me see this beautiful and glorious masterpiece of His.   

Some of you may be thinking “no big deal”.  But it is a big deal.  Can you or I paint a masterpiece across the sky?  Can we tell the leaves when to turn colors?  Of course not. So our Lord Jesus does it purely for our pleasure.  

What does this have to do with the New Jerusalem?  I believe everything.  God knows we will be overwhelmed when we see our New Jerusalem and our new home.  So He’s giving us glimpses of what it will be like.  When we get there, Jesus will have it ready for us.  

I know for me I will do everything I can, everything Jesus asks of me, to be sure my name is written in the Book of Life, and my new address on one of those golden streets. And I pray the same for you my faithful readers.  Be excite.  God has a beautiful home prepared for you. It is our job to hear Jesus, listen to Him, and obey Him.  Be pro-active.