For the month of November, we will be opening God’s word to inspire our gratitude. We teach our children to show gratitude by saying ‘thank you,” and by writing notes of thanks. This is a very important lesson in how we show our gratitude, but we also need to teach why we show gratitude. We say thank you because we appreciate what someone else has done for us. Once we get the how and the why working together, then we can truly give thanks. Thanksgiving needs to come from a sincere and grateful heart. I Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Sometimes, we may not feel grateful and happy in all circumstances about what is going on, but we can still be grateful for who we are – His child saved by grace and saved eternity. When we find this gratitude, then everything else falls into place. When we find our gratitude for salvation, then the world does not look as big and bad because we see beyond it to eternity. Then, when our focus is off our fears, then we can see God’s blessings all around us. This month let us be challenged, to each rejoice and give thanks. When we see why and know why – then we can truly give Him thanks.
December – No Room!!
As we prepare for Christmas, we will be looking at 3 characters from the Christmas story who did not have room for Jesus: the religious leaders, the Innkeeper, and King Herod. Each of them missed the greatest gift from God – Jesus the Messiah-because they had not room for him. The religious leaders had no room for him because they were too comfortable in their religion and they missed the reason for their religion – salvation; The Innkeeper had no room for him in the Inn, which was really his home; and King Herod, obviously had no room for the King of Kings because it would upend his rule and life. As we look at each of these, let us make sure that we are not missing Jesus. Let us make sure we have room for him in our lives and our homes and in our faith. No room? Make room!
January – Changed
In January, we will be doing a sermon study on change – our changed lives. We are called to be different than the world and different than we were before we accepted Jesus as our savior. We are to live changed lives. Look around; Look back; Look within – do you see the change that God has called us to make. This is a study of repentance. If we do not see change, then maybe we have not fully repented and surrendered. We are fortunate that God’s grace covers our sins, but Jesus still called us to live changed lives in gratitude, in obedience and in witness so that through our change, others will see it and want it. Ephesians 4:22-24 calls us to lived changed lives… “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” We must be changed! Not perfect but changed!