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Monday, November 23, 2009

Who are you Thanking?

I have been observing all of the activity and planning that surrounds Thanksgiving. Families are working on getting together, planning who is preparing what and if travel arrangements are an issue, who is picking up at the airport and what time. Busy, busy, busy and them more busy.

Thanksgiving is one of the happiest holidays of the year as families get together to enjoy some family time together. If distance is a factor, this may be the only time some families even get together to reconnect and find out what has been happening over the year. It is definitely a time of excitement.

There are those exceptions. More people die on Thanksgiving day from heart attack than any other day of the year. They eat too much, put too great a load on their heart and it attacks them. I have two grandparents that died around this time of year.

Let's get back to more pleasant things. Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time to be thankful. I saw a question on the Internet about what are you thankful for. While that is a very good and important question to ask, I would like to submit that we also need to remember who it is we are thanking. Today, many people have forgotten the original history and purpose of Thanksgiving. Today, many people don't even think of thanking anyone, but just want to get together with family, eat too much and watch a football game. They have lost total sight as to what Thanksgiving is about.

A lot of people will think of being thankful to and for family and friends and special things that have happened to them over the past year, especially the past few weeks and days. However, way to many people don't consider (or care) about the real purpose behind Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has always been a day to thank God for all of His blessings. Our harvest, family, health, freedom and much more are because God has been working in our lives to provide for us.

This is over simplified and warrants further research, but here is a sketch to the history of Thanksgiving.

When the Pilgrims first came to what is now the United States of America, their life was very hard. Many had died on the ship on the way over, only to be buried at sea. After they arrived, they had to clear land, build homes and plant crops before they could have food to sustain them. Cold, lack of food and other hardships took many more lives. Those who did survive were eventually able to build a colony that would sustain them. They made friendships with the local indian tribes and learned from each other about how to live together in harmony in this new settlement.

When the fall came, some of the early settlers realized the importance of thanking God for blessing them with an abundant harvest. The natives and the settlers got together to thank God for helping them.

Years later, our government established Thanksgiving to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November every year to thank God for His blessings.

So back to my question - Who are you going to thank? Hopefully, you will choose to say "Thank You God for..."

God bless you and have a thankful Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Vladimir Putin needs Getting To Know Jesus

I just saw a headline on World Net Daily about Vladimir Putin soon having access to read "Shocked by the Bible" as it is being tranlated into the Russian language.

I remember when it was illegal to own a Bible in Russia and Christians would smuggle them across the border so Christians in Russia could read and learn about Jesus Christ and what He did for them. As Communism collapsed, resistance to the Bible and Christianity dissolved as well. Today Bibles are being printed in Russia and the church is being encouraged instead of suppressed. What a wonderful change.

I would like to see how Vladimir Putin's life would be changed if he went through the entire Getting To Know Jesus Bible study series. As we have already seen, Christianity and the Church has overpowered and outlasted one of the more hostille governments we have seen in modern times. From the beginning of the Church in 33 AD, there has been no government, kingdom, power or organization that has been able to stop or effectively suppress the Christian Church.

Jesus Christ is a King forever. His Kingdom, the Church (including all of the denominations that believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, our Lord and Savior) will never be destroyed by any other government, religion or group.

I'm glad to be a Christian. I've read the end of the book and I know that Jesus wins and if we believe in Him, we will be winners along side. Vladimir Putin can be a part of that winning team if he learns about Jesus and chooses to follow Him with his life.

You can also be a follower of Christ and a part of the most powerful Kingdom in the world. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Study the Getting To Know Jesus Bible study series to learn about what Jesus taught and how you can become more like Him. It will change your life!

Friday, November 13, 2009

Is Hasan a Terrorist?

It is interesting to observe that the news media, and even the President, are not calling Hasan a terrorist for his act of murdering 13 and wounding another 28 people at Fort Hood Texas. Are they thinking that by not calling Hasan a terrorist he will not be one? Are they afraid that if they call him a terrorist that we'll be attacked again somewhere else?

Maybe they are tying to soft pedal sin. If they don't call him a terrorist, then they can justify not condemning him to death. By trying him in a Federal Court instead of a milatary tribunal as our laws say should be done, he is likely to get off on some technicality instead of receiving the punishment he would certainly get from the military.

What Would Jesus Do?
Jesus Christ never tried to appease. He called sin what it was and told sinners to repent. Jesus would judge Hasan for the murders of those people. If Jesus saw any spark of redemption, He might have words that would bring Hasan to repentance, but if He saw a man determined to hate God and reject His salvation, He would condemn Hasan just as He did all who rejected Him.

Remember that Jesus stopped a crowd from stoning Him, but later assisted a mob in crucifying Him. Jesus forgave a woman who had been caught in adultery and instructed her to stop her sinning. He also condemned the religious leaders who were opposing Him. He forgave the one thief on the cross, but didn't say anything to change the mind or attitude of the unrepentant thief on the cross.

Jesus reached out to those who were open to the Gospel, but He never forced it on anyone. At the same time, Jesus never went soft on speaking out against sin, but told all of us that we should repent or pay a painful price. Jesus never tried to appease anyone.

The Church today needs to stand up and speak up. The United States government needs to stop denying what happened and stand up against those who do evil and prosecute them according to our Constitution and laws.

God will bless America only as long as America blesses God.