Secondly, I hope all of our church family here were able to take time out to enjoy our Thanksgiving Holiday last Thursday. I think it is very impressive that, at one time, the government of our country thought it was essential that we, as a country, as a nation, set aside a special day to express our thanks and gratitude to Almighty God for all we have and are. I shared with everyone last Wednesday evening excerpts from the Thanksgiving Proclamations by both, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, in which both stated plainly it was to God we owed our thanks and gratitude for all we have and are as a nation. What a shame that the United States has now turned the opposite direction and refuses to even acknowledge God publicly much less give Him thanks and our gratitude. Brethren, may we all pray and be willing to work to turn our country back to what it used to be and what it needs to be today. Brethren, this all begins with us! We claim to be Christians, to be God’s family. If this is true we must have the courage to stand with and for our Heavenly Father, Almighty God! This means we must stand for God both individually and collectively as the Lord’s church and do it both privately and publicly in every way possible. God has always wanted His people to stand up and be courageous since the very beginning. Listen to God’s instructions to His people through Moses in Deuteronomy 31:6 where He says, “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, he will not fail you or forsake you.” If we are truly going to accomplish for our God and our Saviour this is where it must begin. Jesus tells us what we are to accomplish for Him as we live in this world in Matthew 5:16 where He says, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” To “let our light shine” is to stand up for God, for Christ and for their Word in every way possible. To do this takes courage and strength. If we truly have faith, real true faith in God and in Christ, they will help us with our courage and strength. They will both be there for us just as God promised Israel in Deuteronomy 31:6. He promised them and us today that He will never fail or forsake us. He will be there for us, He will strengthen us and help us accomplish His will. But, it begins with “US”! We must be willing to put out the effort, willing to get up and go, willing to stand up for our God regardless of the circumstances. All this will come, will happen if and when we have true faith, real faith in our God and allow ourselves to be guided by that faith.
Until next week, I love you all,
Dan