In the hustle and bustle of the season, we often run right by the reality of the events of this sacred time of year. For me the true season begins today, the day before Thanksgiving and lasts through the New Year.
It fascinates me that all of the special days are linked in a very profound and spiritual way. It all begins by giving thanks. This beautiful day began in the 1620’s by Pilgrims. Although we think of that as the first Thanksgiving Day, it was well rooted in thoroughly Christian traditions brought over from Europe.
The key for me is that in order to give thanks for anything there must be by definition a giver and a receiver. There must be an object of our thanks. The world has so completely secularized this beautiful holiday that it is not easy to discover the real power of the event. We are not thanking the earth for a good harvest, we are thanking the Almighty God of the universe for his many and wondrous blessings, none of which we could ever even hope to have except for his giving hand. He is the great Giver, the object of our thanks.
At the core of God’s actions toward us is that he is and always has been a pursuing God and he has always initiated things into our lives in order to prompt a response to him in a personal relationship, not a religious exercise.
He gave everything. He began by creating the universe and all of the indescribable and awesome mysteries it contains. He gave his ultimate gift on the cross―his life in our place.
He is the pursuer, we are the responders. He is the creator, we are the created. He is the giver, we are the blessed receivers. He is the forgiver, we are the transgressors.
Take a few minutes this Thanksgiving and recognize his blessings in your life. Perhaps you have not done that in awhile, or ever. It’s truly an act of worship, the beginning of a life of worship―thanking the Giver.
He is waiting.
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Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good and his loyal love endures!
Psalm 118:1 NET
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We can come to know Christ through confession of our sins and repentance (turning away from sin). Let me encourage you to do this by talking to God through prayer. Here is an idea of how you might do that:
"Dear God, I believe your son Jesus Christ died in my place on the cross and rose from the dead on the third day following his death. I confess my sins, all of them, to you now with a humble heart. I repent of those sins and ask you to empower me with your Holy Spirit in overcoming further sin. Amen”
If you prayed this or a similar prayer committing your life to Christ and becoming one of his followers, let me encourage you to find a good, Bible-believing church. If you live in the Weslaco/Rio Grand Valley area of Texas, let me invite you to the church I attend, Mid-Valley Assembly (www.midvalleyassembly.com).
Begin talking to God in prayer and reading the Bible daily. A good way to begin to read the Bible is to start with the Book of John in the New Testament.
Feel very free in connecting with me if you need any further help in your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. You can do this via the above email or facebook page or this web page.
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Mercy Road Ministries was founded and now led by Ben Bounds. Ben has pastored churches across Texas for over thirty years and is an ordained minister with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA). He holds a BA in Pastoral Ministry and Biblical Studies from Southwestern Assemblies of God College and did graduate theological studies at the BMA Theological Seminary.
Ben's first book, The Divine Chase: Responding to a Pursuing God, was released on 12.08.2017 through Westbow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan. It is available in paperback and hardback through your preferred bookseller (Mardels, Barnes and Noble, etc.) and paperback, hardback as well as ebook through online book retailers (www.christianbook.com, www.cokesbury.com, www.amazon.com, www.booksamillion.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, etc.).
Ben is the host of Staying in Bounds, an on-air Bible devotional broadcast multiple times daily on KWJV 103.7 FM Weslaco, TX which can also be heard worldwide online at www.kwjvthestar.com. Ben and his wife, Linda, together have four adult children and nine grandchildren. They live in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
Ben can be contacted for preaching engagements at benbounds695@gmail.com or 903.441.3279. Ben can also be contacted via his website @ www.benbounds.com, which is also his blog and contains more information about his ministry.
Follow Ben @ https://www.facebook.com/mercyroadministries/ and this website www.benbounds.com.
©2018 by Ben Bounds. All rights reserved.
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