November 2022 Archives
Overcoming Pride with Thanksgiving
Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. ~Ezekiel 16:48
A few days ago I texted a friend to see how she was doing. She replied that God was showing her the pride that was in her heart but that He was weeding it out, for which she was thankful. We in America have so much, yet I believe it is that abundance that has made us proud. We complain about what we don’t have while the reality is that we lack for nothing.
Another friend posted on Facebook today about his work among homeless people. When he returned home, he noticed some of his blessings that many take for granted. He said he didn’t feel guilty, but he was thankful. I think gratitude is a big key.
James 1:17 tells us:
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
We don’t have anything that our Father hasn’t provided for us. Sure, we may have bought it with our hard-earned money, but without God’s mercy, we could lose our jobs. Everything we have could be destroyed in a moment. Our blessings truly do come down from the Father of lights, and we need to not take them for granted
As we enter this week of Thanksgiving, I encourage you to listen to the words that come out of your mouth. When you find yourself tempted to complain, switch gears and ask God to show you something for which you can be thankful. Let’s not be grumblers and complainers like the Israelites. Instead, let’s be a people of praise and thanksgiving, encouraging others and looking for ways to serve those who are poor and needy.
CD Report: Season for Believing (John Darin Rowsey)
I rarely buy Christmas recordings anymore since everyone seems to record the same songs. Last year, John Darin Rowsey released a solo Christmas CD featuring twelve original songs, eleven of which were written or co-written by John.
Songs included are: Christmas Day, Season for Believing, Down in Bethlehem, Who Came When Jesus Came, If It’s Christmas (with the Guardians), Mary Had a Baby, Light in the Window, Welcome Little Baby, Christmas and Family, Joy Has Come to the World (with Nancy Banfield and Pam Hall – formerly known as New Journey), Emmanuel, and We Need a Little Love.
YOU Be Faithful
Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” ~John 21:22
For quite a while now, I have been burdened by the state of the Church as well as those I know who are not walking with the Lord. As I intercede for others, the Holy Spirit reminds me that my job is to be faithful. It is good, and even imperative, that we have a burden for the lost and look for opportunities to share our faith, but our words will fall on deaf ears if we are not living victorious Christian lives ourselves.
Throughout my life, I have been aware that others may be watching me. Whether in public or at home with my five younger siblings, I never wanted to do anything that might cause someone to head down the wrong path. My siblings are grown now, but I still feel that responsibility. And now I have nieces and nephews to make that feeling even stronger.
Although we are responsible for sharing the truths of God’s Word, we are not responsible for others’ actions. When you arrive in God’s presence on the day of judgment, He will evaluate YOUR faithfulness. He will want to know if YOU have been righteous, if YOU obeyed His commands. So don’t stop preaching and sharing with others what God has done for you, but as you do so, make sure that you are living the life that you are telling others to live.
