[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Saturday, November 23, 2013

[Poppa Bear]

Thank you very much for this brother Paul, along with your continued 
faithfulness as well.
In His loving grip
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paul" <oilofgladness47 at gmail.com>
To: "Faith-talk,for the discussion of faith and religion" 
<faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, November 23, 2013 9:56 AM
Subject: [Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Saturday, November 23, 2013


> Hello and good day once again to all my loyal readers out there in 
> cyberspace, whether your day is just beginning, ending or in the middle. 
> For you in Australia and New Zealand it's already the Lord's Day morning, 
> whereas in other parts of this world it's still Saturday.  Whatever time 
> of day it is or even day, I hope and pray that, by God's matchless grace 
> and His providential care, that your day is going well.
>
> A number of years ago in a publication called "Psychology for Living" 
> Kenneth A Markley wrote an article entitled "Be Thankful Unto Him" which 
> I'd like to share with you today.  It is rendered as follows:
>
> Why not consider your great blessings and make this a season of genuine 
> thankfulness to the Lord?
>
> In the month of November in 1621, Governor William Bradford of the little 
> Plymouth Colony proclaimed a three-day celebration to acknowledge the good 
> harvests that God had given.
>
> November is still the special month of gratitude for all thoughtful 
> Americans, not only because of our president's annual proclamation of 
> Thanksgiving as a holiday, but also because of the blessings of freedom in 
> this great country and the many other mercies God so graciously bestows 
> upon us.
>
> Then, there's Christmas--just around the corner.  If ever there is a time 
> of giving and receiving, it is Christmas.  Yet, no gifts--either given or 
> received--can ever begin to compare with the precious invaluable gifts 
> that God gives to us.  For these we ought to be thankful.
>
> In the Bible we read of ten men, lepers whose bodies were healed--but only 
> one, a despised Samaritan, returned to express gratitude to Christ.  Jesus 
> praised this Samaritan's gratitude.  God expects and seeks our thanks for 
> the daily blessings we enjoy.
>
> At this Thanksgiving and Christmas season, I am thankful for many 
> things--too many, in fact, to list in this brief article, but here are a 
> few of the more obvious.
>
> 1.  THE GIFT OF LIFE:
>
> No necessity of nature required me as an individual to be born on earth. 
> Nevertheless, a sovereign God has bestowed the gift of life and 
> individuality on each of us.  For this gift, I owe God every aspect of my 
> being.  How can I do less than serve Him every day, using for His glory 
> all the talents He has given me?
>
> 2.  THE GIFT OF HEALTH:
>
> Although some do not have perfect health, everyone enjoys some measure of 
> physical wellbeing.  Very few suffer continuously, and even those who do 
> realize times of remission and rest for which they can be thankful.
>
> 3.  THE GIFT OF FREEDOM:
>
> Years ago, our Puritan ancestors came to America for the purpose of 
> establishing a Christian nation.  And even today, in spite of the 
> sin-corrupted society that has developed, the laws and principles of our 
> country reflect that wonderful Puritan heritage.  Our nation is still 
> reaping the benefits of our forefathers' adherence to the inspired Word of 
> God.
>
> Thank God for America! Ours is the most generous nation in the world and 
> will continue to be--if we, as born-again believers, will remain faithful 
> in leading others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Also, it is our 
> responsibility to let our convictions be known to those who represent us 
> in the local, state and national government.  We must stand up for 
> righteousness.
>
> 4.  THE GIFT OF SERVICE:
>
> Certainly, one of God's greatest gifts to His children is the privilege of 
> serving Christ.  Some serve through full-time activity as a pastor, 
> missionary, youth worker, Christian counselor, or in any other capacities 
> in the immediate ministry of Christ.  Others who cannot enter full-time 
> Christian service can, nevertheless, have a part in ministry through 
> prayer and the financial support of others who are out in the front lines 
> of service.  Every believer is called to be a soul winner and a witness. 
> No matter where God puts us, we have a responsibility to be faithful in 
> pointing others to Jesus.
>
> 5.  THE GIFT OF SALVATION:
>
> This, of course, is God's greatest gift to us.  Imagine, sending His 
> divine Son to be born as a human baby so that He could grow up to become a 
> substitutionary sacrifice to die for our sins, thus completely satisfying 
> the requirements of a holy and righteous God.  "Thanks be unto God for His 
> indescribable gift" (II Corinthians 9:15).  We echo John Newton's "Amazing 
> Grace" and Charles Wesley's "Amazing Love, How Can It be that Thou, My 
> God, Shouldst die for me?"
>
> Life, health, freedom, service, and salvation.  The list could go on and 
> on.  But where in our time are the "nine" who failed to return thanks? 
> They are represented in the countless millions who pass through this life 
> with no more gratitude than those lepers on their way to Jerusalem.
>
> Let us each consider our great blessings and make this a season of genuine 
> thankfulness to the Lord--one that continues throughout our lifetime and 
> spills over into the lives of all we meet along the way.
>
> "Be thankful unto Him and bless His name" (Psalm 100).
>
> And there you have Brother Markley's article which I originally read more 
> than eight years ago.  The timelessness of his words will hold true until 
> Jesus comes, in my opinion.
>
> And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, 
> individually and collectively, throughout these last days in which we 
> live.  Lord willing, tomorrow there will be another Daily Thought article 
> on the subject of Thanksgiving so, as they still occasionally say in 
> radio, stay tuned.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul
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