thanksgiving

God commanded us to "give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

After George Washington authorized the first Thanksgiving Day in 1789, 74 years passed without another such day of thanks.  Then Abraham Lincoln established the holiday as an annual event in American life.  His Thanksgiving Proclamation is worth reading again today:

"It is the duty of nations as well as of men to owe their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scripture and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.  But we have forgotten God.  We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.  Intoxicated with unbroken success we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people.  I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens."

When did President Lincoln authorize our annual Thanksgiving Day?  In 1863 - in the midst of the Civil War.

Hard places and hard times are the best times to be thankful.  For then we open our lives to the God who alone can bless and prosper us.  He cannot give us what we will not receive.  An attitude of gratitude is essential to receiving the grace and favor of our heavenly Father.  And it is appropriate in thanks for his every blessing, given now and in eternity.

...story

It was the day before Thanksgiving - the first one my three children and I would be spending without their father, who had left several months before. Now the two older children were very sick with the flu, and the eldest had just been prescribed bed rest for a week.

It was a cool, gray day outside, and a light rain was falling. I grew wearier as I scurried around, trying to care for each child: thermometers, juice, diapers. And I was fast running out of liquids for the children. But when I checked my purse, all I found was about $2.50 - and this was supposed to last me until the end of the month. That's when I heard the phone ring.

It was the secretary from our former church, and she told me that they had been thinking about us and had something to give us from the congregation. I told her that I was going out to pick up some more juice and soup for the children, and I would drop by the church on my way to the market.

I arrived at the church just before lunch. The church secretary met me at the door and handed me a special gift envelope. "We think of you and the kids often," she said, "and you are in our hearts and prayers. We love you." When I opened the envelope, I found two grocery certificates inside. Each was worth $25. I was so touched and moved, I broke down and cried.

"Thank you very much," I said, as we hugged each other. "Please give our love and thanks to the church." Then I drove to a store near our home and purchased some much-needed items for the children.

At the check-out counter I had a little over $22.00 worth of groceries, and I handed the cashier one of the gift certificates. She took it, then turned her back for what seemed like a very long time. I thought something might be wrong.

Finally I said, "This gift certificate is a real blessing. Our former church gave it to our family, knowing I'm a single patent trying to make ends meet."

The cashier then turned around, with tears in her loving eyes, and replied, "Honey, that's wonderful! Do you have a turkey?"

"No. It's okay because my children are sick anyway."

She then asked, "Do you have anything else for Thanksgiving dinner?"

Again I replied, "No."

After handing me the change from the certificate, she looked at my face and said, "Honey, I can't tell you exactly why right now, but I want you to go back into the store and buy a turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie or anything else you need for a Thanksgiving dinner."

I was shocked, and humbled to tears. "Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes! Get whatever you want. And get some Gatorade for the kids."

I felt awkward as I went back to do more shopping, but I selected a fresh turkey, a few yams and potatoes, and some juices for the children. Then I wheeled the shopping cart up to the same cashier as before. As I placed my groceries on the counter, she looked at me once more with giant tears in her kind eyes and began to speak.

"Now I can tell you. This morning I prayed that I could help someone today, and you walked through my line." She reached under the counter for her purse and took out a $20 bill. She paid for my groceries and then handed me the change. Once more I was moved to tears.

The sweet cashier then said, "I am a Christian. Here is my phone number if you ever need anything." She then took my head in her hands, kissed my cheek and said, "God bless you, honey."

As I walked to my car, I was overwhelmed by this stranger's love and by the realization that God loves my family too, and shows us his love through this stranger's and my church's kind deeds.

The children were supposed to have spent Thanksgiving with their father that year, but because of the flu they were home with me, for a very special Thanksgiving Day.

They were feeling better, and we all ate the goodness of the Lord's bounty - and our community's love. Our hearts were truly filled with thanks.

"Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:20)

journal

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations. (Psalm 100)

Surely goodness and mercy shall me follow all the days of my life. (Psalm 23:6)

We often neglect to tell those who matter most how much God blesses us through their lives. Our family relationships are richer when we express our gratitude to God for them and tell them so. Gratitude starts with humility, acknowledging that we enjoy blessings because of God’s mercies. 

A friend’s personally designed Christmas card read, 

“Thou hast given us so much. Give us one thing more…a grateful heart.”

Reflect on every person for whom you are grateful and for what you are grateful. Take out pen and paper, and share the overflow of your heart with your family. Your thanksgiving blessing will become a treasured legacy. 

  “Lord, make my heart a habitation where gratitude sings.”

These thoughts will get you started. 

Your own journal of gratitude will be longer and much more specific.

Father, from whom every family on earth is named, we give thanks...

    for time together as a family

    for our continuing love relationship with You through Jesus

    for our love relationship with each other

    for life, health, bright minds, and physical safety

    for food, clothing, a comfortable house, a clean bed

    for enjoying being together with laughter

    for the uniqueness of each one

    for the rock of strength that prayer is for us

    for faithful friends who encourage us by praying for our family

    for seeing God’s hand of grace at work in our lives as we experience more of Him

    for God’s plan for our lives and His enabling to keep us in His will each day

    for weaknesses through which God shows Himself strong in us

    for wisdom and guidance in daily circumstances

    for strength for daily demands of job and family

    for hope, peace, victory, satisfaction, and fulfillment

    for financial blessings

    for spiritual strength in spiritual battles

    for Your patience in the testing, struggles, and refining that we grow through

    for Jesus’ sufficiency for today’s grace

    for forgiveness received and forgiveness extended

    for hearts of obedience

    for more than we could ever deserve!

Thanks, family, for who you are and all you mean to me.

-sylvia gunter

hand

Thanksgiving Day was near. The first grade teacher gave her class a fun assignment - to draw a picture of something for which they were thankful.

Most of the class might be considered economically disadvantaged, but still many would celebrate the holiday with turkey and other traditional goodies of the season. These, the teacher thought, would be the subjects of most of her student's art. And they were.

But Douglas made a different kind of picture. Douglas was a different kind of boy. He was the teacher's true child of misery - frail and unhappy. As other children played at recess, Douglas was likely to stand close by her side. One could only guess at the pain Douglas felt behind those sad eyes.

Yes, his picture was different. 

When asked to draw a picture of something for which he was thankful, he drew a hand. 

Nothing else. 

Just an empty hand.

His abstract image captured the imagination of his peers. Whose hand could it be? One child guessed it was the hand of a farmer, because farmers raise turkeys. Another suggested a police officer, because the police protect and care for people. Still others guessed it was the hand of God, for God feeds us. And so the discussion went - until the teacher almost forgot the young artist himself.

When the children had gone on to other assignments, she paused at Douglas' desk, bent down, and asked him whose hand it was. The little boy looked away and murmured, "It's yours, teacher."

She recalled the times she had taken his hand and walked with him here or there, as she had the other students. How often had she said, "Take my hand, Douglas, we'll go outside." Or, "Let me show you how to hold your pencil." Or, "Let's do this together." Douglas was most thankful for his teacher's hand.

Brushing aside a tear, she went on with her work.

The story speaks of more than thankfulness. 

It says something about teachers teaching and parents parenting and friends showing friendship, and how much it means to the Douglases of the world. They might not always say thanks. But they'll remember the hand that reaches out.

"Your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." (Psalms 139:10)

"I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand." (Psalms 73:23)

Thanks

Dear God,:

I want to thank you for what you have already done.

I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards. 

    I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better, 

    I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me, 

    I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears. 

    I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves. 

    I am going to thank you right now.

I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet, 

    I am going to thank you right now.

I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job, 

    I am going to thank you right now.

I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief. 

    I am going to thank you right now.

I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed,

    I am thanking you right now.

I am thanking you because I am alive. 

I am thanking you because I made it through the day's difficulties.

I am thanking you because I have walked around the obstacles.

I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better.

I am thanking you because, Father, you have not given up on me.

God is good, all the time; and all the time, God is Good!

THANK HIM!

-t d jakes

listen

When the electricity went out recently, I was impressed with how quiet it was.  We live with continual background noise. Indoors we have the sounds of heating and air-conditioning units, washers and dryers, tv's, computers, telephones, computers, gaming vonsoles, answer machines, stereos, and kids.  Outdoors are leaf-blowers, snow-blowers, trains, airplanes, birds, animals, sirens, cars and cell phones.

We have all kinds of noise inside our heads, too.  Past tapes, what others have said and done, things we have done or told ourselves.  And what about the noise our hearts make? They laugh, cry, remember, and talk to us too!

I don't think of myself as somebody who leads a fast-paced, jet-set life.  That is until I notice how long it takes me to relax and unwind.   Getting quiet doesn't happen quickly  for me.  Sometimes I even have to consciously work at it.  Even David, songwriter extraordinaire, wise warrior, and anointed King of Israel, needed to be reminded by God to "Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)

It's a noisy world.  And we all need a quiet place in the midst of all the noise.  A safe place, where we can BE STILL, and hear the Lord.  He very much wants to tell us how much he loves us, and how unique and special we are to him.

Ask him to help you find a safe place, a place where you can go and listen to the quiet.  Thank God he provides places for us, whether inside our mind and heart, or in a physical spot. Journey there and see what wonderful surprises Jesus has planned to share with you in this brand new day of Today that you've never seen before.

-sally i kennedy

...reasoning

"You shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him, and cleave unto Him." (Deuteronomy 13:4)

When we read a command in the Bible, whether we understand it or not, we ought to obey it. The Bible is not first and foremost a book to be explained, it is a book to be believed and obeyed.

So many times we want to tell God how He ought to do things. I can imagine those early apostles when they first met Paul persecuting believers. Those well-meaning Christians could have been praying for God to strike Paul dead - But what did God do? He struck him alive! And aren't you glad He did?

Don't substitute human reasoning for obedience. God says, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9).

-adrian rogers

serving...

When you serve God, "regardless" 
Regardless... 
     of what others do or think,
     of what you don't have,
     of how you feel 

When you serve God, "regardless", twelve things happen:
   God is honored,
   Jesus is pleased,
   The Spirit is freed,
   Satan is infuriated,
   Enemies are baffled,
   Critics are silenced,
   The church is edified,
   Fellow strugglers are encouraged,
   Outsiders are drawn to Jesus,
   You are strengthened,
   Your reward is great, and
   Your reputation goes through the roof.
-joe mckeever

.....wheelbarrow

On June 30, 1859, one of the greatest tightrope walkers in history, Charles Blondin, became the first man in history to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Approximately 25,000 people watched him walk a 1,000-foot line suspended above the raging falls without any safety nets. When he safely reached the Canadian side, the crowd cheered with thunderous applause.

On another occasion, he attempted to cross The Falls once again - this time, however, with a wheelbarrow. The crowd gasped as he carefully loaded the front wheel of the wheelbarrow on the tightrope. He turned to the crowd and asked if they believed he could do it using the wheelbarrow. Everyone cheered in approval. They all believed he could.

He turned to a reporter who was covering the event. He looked straight at him and asked the question, "Do you believe I can do this?" The reporter responded with a big smile, "Yes! I believe you can do it."

"Good", the tightrope walker responded. "Get in the wheelbarrow!"

If we call ourselves Christians, if we say we are people who "live by faith", we need to have "wheelbarrow faith."  We can not be people who just "say" we believe; we have to truly believe. We have to live out our faith in our daily lives. We have to "get in the wheelbarrow."

Prayer: Heavenly Father, forgive me when I just "talk the talk" and don’t "walk the walk." Make me a person of genuine faith. Help me relinquish total control of my life and fully place my trust in you. Lead me to encourage others to have "wheelbarrow faith."

2 Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 11:6; Matthew 17:20

-david langerfeld

stay...

Stay warm, stay safe, and stay close to Jesus.  I ended an email to a friend who lives in an area experiencing and ice storm...

Stay Warm

That is advice for a winter day. Stay warm. If you can, stay inside, by a fire, and with someone you love. For those who have lost their heat, have not home, have not heat, or must work outside in this weather, I am sorry that circumstances require you to work outside in the cold. For those who are serving others by working outside, I am thankful for your faithfulness in doing what you do. For the rest of us who can, stay warm.

Stay warm on the inside as well. Don't just avoid the cold temperatures, but avoid the cold heart, the cold attitude, and the cold spirit. Staying warm is a choice we will have to make. It is not natural. It will not come easy. It may never be noticed or appreciated. But, choose to stay warm. 

Matthew 14:13-14, "When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick."

The world has a tendency to want to squeeze us into its mode of skepticism, negativism, cynicism, and suspicion (Romans 12:1-2). Don't let it happen to you. Stay warm.

Stay Safe

Stay safe if you must get out in the weather. Icy roads are treacherous and dangerous. A common warning when winter storms come is, "If at all possible, stay at home." Sometimes it is better to make it to a church service (yes, I did say that), stay home from work, and miss the ball game, that risk your life, or the life of someone else by trying to navigate slick roads. When the weather is bad it is good advice to stay safe.

Stay safe is not always the best thing to do. Sometimes people of faith are asked to take a risk, to do the ill-advised, to step out in faith, or to take the road less traveled. When you do you may be criticized, you may be ridiculed, and you may be called foolish, childish, or even crazy. Do it. Step out. Don't play it safe. (See Hebrews 11)

Matthew 14:27-29, But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."  "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."   "Come," he said.

His friends may have said, "Peter, stay safe here in the boat with us." If he had, he could have never said, "I walked on water!"

Stay Close To Jesus

Stay close to Jesus. This is always good advice. This always the best route to take. This is always the right choice. Warm weather or cold icy conditions: Stay close to Jesus. On your job or in your home: Stay close to Jesus. Working hard or on vacation: Stay close to Jesus. Through the good times and through the bad: Stay close to Jesus. In sickness or in health: Stay close to Jesus. Through times of wealth and times of poverty: Stay close to Jesus.

Matthew 14:29b-31, "Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!'  Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him."

Wherever you are today, whatever you are doing, whoever you are with: Stay warm, stay safe, and stay close to Jesus.

-tom

love

My five-year-old Shih Tzu, Mamie, is the sweetest dog you'll ever meet. She's easy-going, gentle, never upset. She loves to snuggle and eat jerky. She's content in any situation but loves riding in a car with her head out the window better than almost anything. It took her years to master sneaking like a spy, but she can do it now. Sorta. Mamie is practically perfect in every way except the ability to roll over on command. She doesn't do that yet.

Mamie's kind to everyone but especially to Max the Cat, AKA Biting Cat. He's a big, beautiful, long-haired cat who sports dreadlocks in the winter and yowls all the time. He loves to bite. Our relationship is strained as a result.

I'm very cautious about Biting Cat because he's latched on to my leg more than once. Mamie, however, treats him like a long-lost friend every time she sees him. If I were her, I'd bite him as soon as he walked my way, but not Mamie. A few months ago, Mamie passed by him and he pounced, flipped her over and had her by the neck, head buried in her fur, in an instant. I managed to rescue Mamie but it was no small feat.

Mamie was indignant and upset with Biting Cat for a few moments after his attack. The next day, she was as sweet as ever. She greeted him as if he had not assaulted her the day before. She rubbed him with her head and treated him the same as ever. `

She's always nice. Yesterday, it was raining like crazy but Mamie and Maggie both needed to go outside. I put their pink raincoats on them and sent them to do their business. They looked sooo cute! Maggie headed straight to the grass to do what must be done. Mamie, however, paused to offer Mamie-love to Biting Cat. She stood in the rain and greeted him with enthusiasm. "Mamie, you're getting wet. Do your business and leave that mean cat alone!" I told her in no uncertain terms. She turned my way and, believe it or not, smiled at me before giving Biting Cat one more nuzzle.

I watched her love on the cat who's so mean and marveled at her ability to forgive and love him anyway. My love for him failed a long time ago but Mamie's love never fails. Friend or foe, ally or enemy. She loves everyone the same whether it changes them or not. Including attack cats. 

This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. John 15:12

As I watch sweet Mamie pour out puppy-love with reckless abandon, I'm cut to the core with conviction. I don't always love the way she does. I'm not always as sweet-natured and I'm much more careful with people I view as unpredictable.

I wonder, though...what would life be like if I loved without hesitation and forgave without delay? I'd be more like Jesus. I'm sure of that.

Take a step closer:

1. What about you? Do you struggle with love and forgiveness? Maybe you need to embrace the command of Jesus to love as He loves... even when it's hard. I know I do, so let's do it together.

2. Today, let's think of one person we haven't loved quite as well as we should. Let's ask our Lord to help us love them, even if it's a hard situation. Let's love in the same way, and with the same forgiveness, He loves. It may not change our "enemy" but it will do a beautiful work in us.

Thanks for walking this path with me

Grace and peace,

-leanna

...people

What's the main problem with this world?  Easy answer:  People!

Probably most of us have felt that way at one time or another....especially with those people who are like Heavenly Sandpaper....the ones the Lord allows to be in our lives, but who "rub us the wrong way."  Or so we think.

For example, it might be Judy the Judger who is critical of what everyone does and says, including telling a family member they're not loading the dishwasher exactly perfectly.  Or, Mark the Martyr who complains about how hard he works on church projects and makes sure everyone - and we mean everyone - around him hears how nobody appreciates his efforts.

In our case, our heavenly sandpaper was a young woman in a class we taught when Bob was on the staff of a church in Southern California back in the 80's.  The moment she arrived she needed our constant attention....in our faces, telling us every detail about her work day, asking nonstop questions, trying to dominate every discussion group we had.  Frankly, she was one of those who made us feel every time we saw her we wanted to get out of Impulse Power and jump into Warp Drive Five in an opposite direction.  We couldn't, however, since we were the teachers.  We figured we would tolerate her until the six-week class was over.  And by-the-way, yes, she was a Christian.

One day when the two of us were having devotions together we read the passage of Romans 15:7 - "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God," we realized we hadn't been doing this with our heavenly sandpaper.  When the Apostle Paul wrote this verse, the word acceptance meant - "Welcome with open arms."  We knew we were not even close to welcoming her with open arms and that our approach was ungodly and downright impolite.  Tolerating, yes.  But accepting?  No!  We weren't accepting her in an unconditional way, as Christ had accepted us.  We wanted her to change so we could feel more comfortable.  Know what we mean?

We decided to put on what we call our Jesus Specs.  That means those invisible glasses we can all put on so we can view people the way Jesus views them through God's eyes - worthy of respect - which will show up in the way we talk and treat people.

Wow!  Whatta difference when we put them on!  His view always helps us separate the person from the behavior.  Let's run that by again.  Our Lord helps us separate the person from the behavior.  He will help us all discover what it is in a person's life that makes them so difficult.  What we discovered about that woman, and subsequently about most difficult and irritating people, is that the vast majority of them just want others to accept and care for them.  Unfortunately, their behavior usually causes others to react in the opposite way.  And, oh, let's not forget that the two of us, and maybe even you, just 'might' be a difficult person to others.  Hmmmm.  Sometimes we never think of that, do we?

Anyway, viewing this particular woman through our Jesus Specs, we took the initiative to find out more about her life.  We found out her parents had passed away when she was a child and she'd grown up in an orphanage since there were no other relatives in her life.  She was passed over by people wanting to adopt because she was older than what the couples wanted.  As a teenager, she met a guy who finally gave her the attention she so desperately needed.  They married, but within a year he'd left her.

So here was a very hurting young lady who desired so much to be accepted but everyone seemed to reject her.  She wanted acceptance and here we were showing her merely tolerance.  We were very ashamed of our attitude and our lack of love and sensitivity.  God used our heavenly sandpaper to teach us a great lesson about acceptance and how to live out 1 Cor.12:25 - "There should be no division in the body, but its parts should have equal concern for each other."  We confessed before our Lord, accepted His forgiveness and turned our attention and interest toward this woman.  She became more alive with smiles, appreciation and thanksgiving.  We mean it really showed.

Who is your heavenly sandpaper?  Your spouse?   A child?  Someone you're dating?  Family members?  Neighbor? Coworker?  And on and on? 

And, by the way, it's okay to let your heart pound as God distinctly places these people in your mind - those who need your love and attention and who are not receiving it from you.  Remember, God has placed these people in your life for a reason.  To deal with them, always put on your Jesus Specs and see them as God sees them through the eyes of Christ our Lord. They will look very, very different.  We all know what God wants - and what those 'special' people placed in our lives need.  It's your choice.

-bob and yvonne turnbull

...white

"Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. 

"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; 

though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." - Isaiah 1:18

This past Sunday, members of my church's Men's Ministry gathered in the Atrium of our church to paint the walls as this quarter's service project. The two-story walls have not been painted in almost 10 years and were showing signs of dirt, grime and few unsightly gouges. Our task was to repair areas where necessary and re-paint with the same white color.

If you've ever painted a wall with the same color, you know the problem that lay ahead; you can't tell where you've painted and where you haven't, except in those dirty areas where the new coat of fresh white paint stood out.

The dynamics of sin and grace have the same problem. 

We cannot fully understand or comprehend the magnitude of God's grace without realizing the magnitude of our sins and our helplessness to save ourselves. Salvation and redemption look the best when painted on the canvas of our fallen humanity.

The cost to bring us out of these shackles of sin is high...extremely high. 

After all, "the wages of sin is death!"  But Jesus stepped into our place, to take our sins upon His own back and die the death prescribed for us, so that we may be made righteous before God.

Grace may be freely given, but its cost was anything but free.

-glenn w. miller

trials

There was a blacksmith who gave his heart to God. Though conscientious in his living, still he was not prospering materially. In fact, it seems that from the time of his conversion, more trouble, affliction and loss were sustained than ever before. Everything seemed to be going wrong.

One day, a friend who was not a Christian stopped at the blacksmith's shop to talk to him. Sympathizing with him in some of his trials, the friend said. "It seems strange to me that so much affliction should come to you just at the time when you have become an earnest Christian. Of course, I don't want to weaken your faith in God or anything like that. But here you are, with God's help and guidance, and yet things seem to be getting steadily worse. I can't help wondering why it is."

The blacksmith did not answer immediately, but finally, he said, "You see here the raw iron which I have to make into horse's shoes. You know what I do with it? I take a piece and heat it in the fire until it is red, almost white with the heat. Then I hammer it unmercifully, to shape it as I know it should be shaped. Then I plunge it into a pail of cold water to temper it. Then I heat it again and hammer it some more. And this I do until it is finished."

"But sometimes I find a piece of iron that won't stand up under this treatment. The heat and the hammering and the cold water are too much for it. I don't know why it fails in the process, but I know it will never make a good horse's shoe." He pointed to a heap of scrap iron that was near the door of his shop. "When I get a piece that cannot take the shape and temper, I throw it out on the scrap heap. It will never be good for anything."

He went on, "I know that God has been holding me in the fires of affliction and I have felt His hammer upon me. But I don't mind, if only He can bring me to what I should be. And so, in all these hard things my prayer is simply this: Try me in any way you wish, Lord, only don't throw me on the scrap heap."

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4)

-lynell waterman 

faith

On any given day, I might pray...

I feel lost. Show me the way.

    He does.

I feel empty and alone. Fill me with Your Spirit, Your love, and Your wisdom.

    He does.

I feel broken. Put me back together so I can serve you.

    He does.

I feel sinful. Cleanse me. Forgive me. Restore me.

    He does.

I feel weak and powerless. Remind me that You are my strength.

    He does.

I feel useless. Show me what I can do to live my purpose.

    He does.

When I pray, the response isn't always what or when I want. But I know He does hear me, He cares, and He will always respond.

-tom novell

JC

Jesus Through the Bible 

In GENESIS, Jesus is the Ram at Abraham's altar

In EXODUS, He's the Passover Lamb

In LEVITICUS, He's the High Priest

In NUMBERS, He's the Cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night

In DEUTERONOMY, He's the City of our Refuge

In JOSHUA, He's the Scarlet Thread out by Rahab's window

In JUDGES, He is our King

In RUTH, He is our Kinsman Redeemer

In 1st and 2nd SAMUEL, He's our Trusted Prophet

In KINGS and CHRONICLES, He's our Reigning King

In EZRA, He is our Faithful Scribe

In NEHEMIAH, He's the Rebuilder of everything that is broken

In ESTHER, He is the Mordecai sitting faithful at the gate

In JOB, He's our Redeemer that ever liveth

In PSALMS, He is my Shepherd

In PROVERBS and ECCLESIASTES, He's our Wisdom

In the SONG OF SOLOMON, He's the Beautiful Bridegroom

In ISAIAH, He's the Suffering Servant

In JEREMIAH and LAMENTATIONS, it is Jesus that is the Weeping Prophet

In EZEKIEL, He's the Wonderful Four-Faced Man

In DANIEL, He is the Fourth Man in the midst of a fiery furnace

In HOSEA, He is my Love that is forever faithful

In JOEL, He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit

In AMOS, He's our Burden Bearer

In OBADIAH, He's our Savior

In JONAH, He is the Great Foreign Missionary 

In MICAH, He is the Messenger with beautiful feet

In NAHUM, He is the Avenger

In HABAKKUK, He is the Watchman that is ever praying for revival

In ZEPHANIAH, He is the Lord mighty to save

In HAGGAI, He is the Restorer of our lost heritage

In ZECHARIAH, He is our Fountain

In MALACHI, He is the Son of Righteousness with healing in His wings

In MATTHEW, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God

In MARK, He's the Miracle Worker

In LUKE, He's the Son of Man

In JOHN, He is the door by which everyone of us must enter

In ACTS, He is the Shining Light that appears to Saul on the Damascus road

In ROMANS, He is our Justifier

In 1st CORINTHIANS, He is our Resurrection

In 2nd CORNITHIANS, He is our Sin Bearer

In GALATIANS, He redeems us from the law

In EPHESIANS, He is our Unsearchable Riches

In PHILIPPIANS, He supplies our every need

In COLOSSIANS, He's the Fullness of the Godhead Bodily

In 1st and 2nd THESSALONIANS, He is our Soon Coming King

In 1st and 2nd TIMOTHY, He is the Mediator between God and man

In TITUS, He is our Blessed Hope

In PHILEMON, He is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother

In HEBREWS, He's the Blood of the everlasting covenant

In JAMES, it is the Lord that heals the sick

In 1st and 2nd PETER, He is the Chief Shepherd

In 1st, 2nd, and 3rd JOHN, it is Jesus who has the tenderness of love

In JUDE, He is the Lord coming with 10,000 saints

And in REVELATION, He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords