[Faith-talk] FW: [thefamilyoffaith] Larry Ollison - Thanksgiving

Tue Nov 24 12:28:49 UTC 2009

Yes, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on blessings, even if you missed out 
on some in particular... I am reminded of this whenever I go to a doctor or 
dentist and am being assisted by a reader to fill out the medical history. 
There is always that page with the long list of ailments that I don't have. 
Although I am blind and have other physical disabilities, I somehow lucked 
out on all the rest of those common diseases.  I even am blessed with no 
allergies.  But just as I take for granted that someone will assist me in 
certain activities, I have to be considerate of the people who have 
allergies, even if I am tempted to think they make some of them up... (I 
love perfume; need I say more.)
Anyway, I think that sinking into a shroud of self pity over negatives you 
are stuck with only blinds you to the needs of the people around you who may 
have less visible problems but are in need nonetheless.
So that's my commentary for Thanksgiving. This has always been one of my 
favorite holidays -- a time when loved ones gather and focus on blessings 
rather than hurts, and thus feed both the body and soul. And there isn't the 
frantic overspending that occurs around Christmas.
Happy Thanksgiving all!
--le


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eric Calhoun" <eric at pmpmail.com>
To: <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 5:28 AM
Subject: [Faith-talk] FW: [thefamilyoffaith] Larry Ollison - Thanksgiving


Original Message:
From: "TONY_at_FloridaHealth" <FloridaHealth21 at verizon.net>
To: <thefamilyoffaith at yahoogroups.com>, <CcHhEeSsTtEeRr at yahoogroups.com>,
<INTERCESSORS-ALLNATIONS at yahoogroups.com>, "Donna Mae"
<btlg1370 at gmail.com>, <walkwithchrist at tampabay.rr.com>
Subject: [thefamilyoffaith] Larry Ollison -  Thanksgiving
Date:
Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:23:13 -0500


       Thanksgiving
      by Dr. Larry Ollison
      A few weeks ago I met an elderly gentleman who had lost his left
arm when he was a young man. Because of this he had lived his entire life
not being able to do everything that others could do. His life had
literally been handicapped. When I asked him how he lost his arm, he stood
straight and tall and said, "I gave my arm for my country while I was in
Korea."

      Even though we were standing in a shopping center as he told me
this story, I could hardly keep my eyes from watering. The reality is this
man sacrificed his life for me and my family. The thankfulness for him and
what he had done, and the respect and honor I felt for him was
overwhelming.

      Honor and respect are two qualities that have been devalued in our
culture. Honor for authority and respect for property seems to be at an all
time low. Much of the reason is due to a lack of thankfulness.

      As a Christian nation, we should be thankful for the countless men
and women who have given their lives for our freedom and for those who are
placing their lives on the line each day for our freedom. As Christians we
should also be thankful for those who have sacrificed through the centuries
to keep the Gospel message alive.

      Without thankfulness, there can be no honor and respect. Without
honor and respect, there is chaos and confusion and confusion breeds
lawlessness. In order for our nation to be at peace, our families must be
secure. But our families will never be complete until the spirit of
thankfulness is in our hearts. Even in times of great need, we should be
thankful.

      In Philippians 4:6 the Bible tells us that when we pray, we should
not be anxious or fearful, but as we make our requests known to God, we
should do so with an attitude of thanksgiving. A lack of thankfulness will
affect your prayers. Thankfulness is not an emotion, but it is a decision
of the heart.

      Over the years I have noticed that people who have an attitude of
thankfulness are usually pleasant people with positive attitudes. Their
friendships are solid and based on love and caring. They are generally
happy people.

      On the other hand, people who are not thankful, usually gripe and
complain about everything. People who are unthankful do not respect
authority and have problems submitting to authority. An unthankful person
never sees themselves at fault but sees everything that is wrong in others.


      Now don't take me wrong, I'm not implying that a person should be
thankful for all things. Of course, you are not thankful for sickness, or
poverty, or the attacks that come in life. But as a Christian, we can be
thankful in spite of these things. Our lives should not be ruled by what we
see around us, but instead should be ruled by the promises of God.

      Even though it may look like the enemy is strong, we stand thankful
for the promise of victory from God. When David looked at Goliath, everyone
said, "Goliath is too big to hit." David said, "He's too big to miss." See
your problems through the eyes of victory and not through the eyes of
defeat. As Christians we have the victory.

      The Bible says in (1John 5:4) -  "This is the victory that has
overcome the world - our faith." What is faith? Faith is believing that God
will do what He said He would do and believing it so strongly that your
words and actions are based on His promises instead of being based on what
you see. If it looks like defeat is coming in an area where God has
promised victory, you must believe His Word regardless of what you see.

      If you are a Christian, you can be thankful in this. The God who
spoke the universe into existence said that "No weapon formed against you
will prosper." When the enemy says you can't make it, God's Word says, "You
can do all things through Christ who strengthens you." When the enemy says,
"I will overpower you," God's Word says, "Greater is He that is in you than
he that is in the world." When the enemy says there is no way out, you say,
"God's Word says I get what I say, and I say, "Victory is mine!'"

      The world is full of negative words, doubt, fear, defeat, and
unthankfulness. Do not allow yourself to be caught up in this. As a
Christian, even though you are in the world, you are not a part of it. You
live in a higher Kingdom, above the negative kingdom of fear.

      We have just completed one of the most intense presidential
elections in the history of our country. You must respect the office and
honor the position with an attitude of thankfulness regardless of whether
your candidate won or lost. Although you are not responsible for who won
the election, you will be held accountable for how you voted.

      The Bible tells us that God has placed before us life and death.
With life comes blessing and thankfulness. Remember, thankfulness is not an
emotion, but it is a decision of the heart. Choose wisely.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
      All rights reserved. Used by permission.
      This article may be reproduced for teaching purposes but not for
commercial resale
      When writing about this devotional, refer to devotional #0489
      Larry Ollison Ministries PO Box 880, Osage Beach, MO 65065 USA


      Prayerfully consider becoming a partner with us. click here

      To order books, CD's and DVD's by Larry Ollison, click here

      Our records indicate we have your permission to send email to the
following address: floridahealth21 at verizon.net

      Larry Ollison Ministries never sells, rents, or shares your email
address.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


_______________________________________________
Faith-talk mailing list
Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
Faith-talk:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/faith-talk_nfbnet.org/lauraeaves%40yahoo.com