THE BLESSED REACHING OUT TO THE HOPELESS

Thoughtful read these beautifully rich verses concerning God’s abundant blessings upon the lives of those who trust Him and our heartfelt response to His goodness. “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.” (Psalms 103:2-5) Believers receiving unending blessings from God, but we don’t want to keep them to ourselves. During this coming Christmas season we will come across many people without hope who need to hear about our great God. Today I read an informative article from ABWE about reaching out to our friends and neighbors that I think will be helpful for all of us during the month of December.

You have an opportunity to invite someone to our Ladies Christmas Dinner on Saturday December 15th at 5:30 in the evening. It will be a delightful evening of singing, inspiration, and delicious food; perfect for inviting friends and family.

This Thursday morning we will have a deep look at the verses that I shared at the beginning of this blog. You will find that this Christmas will be more meaningful than ever after thinking long about Psalm 103.

A DIFFERENT LOOK AT THANKSGIVING

This much loved picture hangs on our family room wall. The original family picture was taken four years ago during a very rare time that all of our family came home. Since that happy day we have added 10 more babies and a dear grandson-in-law to our family tree. Rich blessings have been poured upon our family and I am very thankful to God for His generosity to us.

The past couple of weeks I have been thinking about another side of thankfulness to God that perhaps we seldom recognize; the blessing of difficulties. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) What does “all” include? Think about Spurgeon’s comments on this verse. “We are to give thanks for the dark things, the cutting things, the things which plague and vex us and disquiet our spirits—for these are among the "all things" for which we ought to praise and bless God. Doubtless, if our eyes were opened, like those of Elijah's servant, we should see our trials to be among our choicest treasures! If we exercise the farseeing eyes of faith and not the dim eyes of sense, we shall discover that nothing can be more fatal to us than to be without affliction and that nothing is more beneficial to us than to be tried as with fire. Therefore we will glory in tribulations! We will bless and magnify the name of the Lord that He leads us through the wilderness that He may prove us and that He may fit us for dwelling by-and-by in the Promised Land. ‘Giving thanks always for all things.’”

May we each have a Happy Thanksgiving as we remember the bountiful and the difficult times God has used to bless us.

HAVE YOU FOUND TRUE JOY?

A study through the Psalms points us over and over again to finding our joy in the Lord. Oh what a source of comfort and help He is to everyone that leans hard on Him; the only source of true, lasting joy. Consider the following two quotes from Spurgeon on this subject.

“This morning being myself more than usually compassed with infirmities, I desire to speak, as a weak and suffering preacher, of that High Priest who is full of compassion: and my longing is that any who are low in spirit, faint, despondent, and even out of the way, may take heart to approach the Lord Jesus…

…Jesus is touched, not with a feeling of your strength, but of your infirmity. Down here poor, feeble nothings affect the heart of their great High Priest on high, who is crowned with glory and honour. As the mother feels with the weakness of her babe, so does Jesus feel with the poorest, saddest, and weakest of his chosen.”

“In the old Pilgrim’s Progress I used to read in my grandfather’s house, I remember the picture of Hopeful in the river holding Christian up; and the engraver has done it very well. Hopeful has his arm around Christian, and lifts up his hands, and says, ‘Fear not, brother, I feel the bottom.’ That is just what Jesus does in our trials; he puts his arm round us, points up and says, ‘Fear not! the water may be deep, but the bottom is good.’”

Study Psalm 98 this week and consider where you seek your joy; EVERY source gives false promises except for the Lord. See you Thursday morning.