He shall save his people from their sins.

Isn't it wonderful that Thanksgiving comes before Christmas when we honor the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? What greater thing could we possibly be grateful for than forgiveness for our sins that we may be acceptable and cleansed to enter heaven. "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins." ( Matthew 1:20)    

We are the sheep of his pasture

The problem with the Psalms (if you can consider it so) is that David says it so well there is hardly anything I can add other than, “Amen.”  

“Know ye that the Lord he is God. It is he that hath made us and not we ourselves; We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. Be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good. His mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth to all generations.”  (Psalms 100:3-5)

I cease not to give thanks for you,

Paul writing to the Ephesians said, “After I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers …” (Ephesians 1:15)

Isn’t that a cool thing to give thanks for? Sometimes I think we forget that those in leadership positions, the missionaries, the teachers, are the ones Satan works the hardest on. They need our thanks and prayers. Think about the new convert, or the recently baptized individual. We all need appreciation and prayers. It is good to say thank you in person, but it is also good to say, “Thank thee Lord for (name) who gave such a good talk, or lesson, or said a few kind words to me.   

When my precious daughter was in high school I worried about her a lot even as I did about my sons. It made such an impression on me the day she said to me, “Mother I know when you pray for me.”

What if in our private prayers we say, “Thank thee Lord that (child’s name) made his/her bed this morning,” or whatever.  Think of the positive influence such a prayer would have on the child.  What if we found a reason each day to be grateful for each member of our family? Suppose we told them in person and thanked the Lord for them in our private prayers. Think not only of what that would do for, them but think what it would do for us.   

Somewhere it is written that gratitude makes us glorious.  I think of the Savior and of his great sacrifice for each of us that we might return to our Father in Heaven. He is truly glorious and if we could but obtain a portion of that glory and share it with others this would be a better world. Remember to always be grateful for the sacrifice our Lord made for us and it will come back to us in bucket fulls.   

“Feast of the Harvest – the first fruits of thy labor.”

 “And  it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts2 :21)

This is Peter speaking to the people on the day of Pentecost. Curious, I looked up Pentecost to see what its meaning might be. It means fifty. The Feast of Pentecost happens fifty days after Passover according to Jewish law. It is also called the “Feast of the Harvest – the first fruits of thy labor.”  1 Corinthians 15:23) tells us that Christ became the first fruits of them that slept. That being so, Christ having completed his work here sent “another comforter… even the Spirit of truth” John (14: 13 -15) on the day of the Feast of the Harvest and the apostles and Disciples of Christ in that day became the first fruits of the Spirit.   

Some of us who are converts are the first fruits of our families in the Lord. I think of my dear grandmother who read her scriptures daily and lived by the percepts taught there.  Her example and love of our Lord Jesus Christ influenced my life to receive Christ. I see her influence in other members of the family and in their children and grandchildren.  We can all be examples to others through that Spirit of truth received on the day of Pentecost thousands of years later.

God is Help

“And she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

The name Jesus means “God is help,” or in other words it means Savior – for he shall save his people from their sins. What greater gift could we receive than to be saved from our sins. How appropriate that Thanksgiving precedes our traditional celebration of the birth of Christ. Let us give thanks today and always for this great gift.  

When the onslaught stops then we have need to worry for fear Satan is winning,

As Paul goes about his ministry traveling about from one congregation to another he records, “when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us…whom when Paul saw, thanked God, and took courage.” (Acts 28-15)

Missions are hard. There is so much adversity. The opposition looses everything when people are converted and change their lifestyle. It is a matter of survival for the adversary and he fights dirty. Even at home in our own congregation contentions arises because we are imperfect humans. We are tempted, make mistakes, and become discouraged. Whatever the situation Satan is there trying to bring us down. When the onslaught stops then we have need to worry for fear Satan is winning, but we also need to be encouraged, a pat on the back, a well done thou good and faithful servant.

Paul and his companions had had success, but to be welcomed by those strong ones of the congregation, the brethren, gave them courage and renewed their faith. Yes, this is real. Yes, Christ, though dead, lives.

For those who were raised in Christian families or communities and heard of Christ since their birth this is accepted easily. Sometimes, we fight among ourselves about points of doctrine, but I have often thought how bizarre and insane it must seem to someone hearing the gospel for the first time to think that a man lived and died but lives again. If we can’t see it, touch it, and feel it we tend not to believe in it. Yet there are many who, having never heard of Christ believe in a higher power.

I recently heard an American Indian speak of his introduction into the Church. The things the missionaries were telling him caused him to remember the legends and stories of his ancestors. How grateful he was to learn that there really is a Great Spirit and that his ancestors were right. How grateful we are to bear testimony and to hear the testimony of others to strengthen and give us courage.    

The Prison of Your Mind

“If I had the wings of an angel over these prison walls I would fly.” These are the words to a song my father used to sing to me as he played his guitar. Those words came back to me recently as I was developing a character, the antagonist, in one of my stories. I thought about how some people may be imprisoned within stone walls and yet their spirits cannot be restrained. Others are free to come and go at will, but their minds and spirits are bound as securely as if shackled to walls of cement surrounded by iron bars and barbed wire.

My personal opinion is there are no bad people. There are only people who are trapped in a prison either of their own making, or because of abuse or some genetic weakness.

Fear, I believe, is the strongest prison in the world and is reinforced by anger and hate. Addictions, of many kinds, pave the way to strengthen the chains through abuse and neglect. Minds so damaged often take years, even a lifetime, to free themselves, and many never do.

I believe that the strongest antidote for recovery includes forgiveness of self and others, and a belief in God or a higher power. Generous applications of understanding, knowledge of worth, and the ability to let the past go and move on, are necessary to make these strong medicines effective. 

Fear does not come from God. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) With him there is peace, and love.