Thanksgiving Through The Tough Times

The first Thanksgiving was celebrated after almost half of the pilgrims had died because of the harsh first winter.

Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday in the shadow of this country's darkest time - the civil war. Here's his words:

"The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come…the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States…to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwells in the Heavens.” October 3, 1863

Isn't it true that tough times can help us realize how much we have to be thankful for?

This certainly has been a very tough year for us, but we are so very thankful for friends, family, church, life, breath. Most of all we are thankful to God for His indescribable gift, Jesus Christ.

Drawing Near To God

Jon Courson, a favorite pastor of mine, writes this in his daily devotional for today,

"One of my favorite verses in all of the Bible: Draw nigh to God, and He might draw nigh to you. No. Draw nigh to God, and He will sometimes draw nigh to you. No. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. That’s a promise! Don’t let anyone cast aspersions on God’s goodness or nature by saying, ‘I tried to get close to the Lord, but He is just so far from me.’

The Bible says He will draw nigh—always."

Courson, J. (2003). A Day's Journey : 365 Daily Meditations from the Word (November 10). Santa Ana, CA: Calvary Chapel Publishing.

One song that I have been beginning my quiet time with is "Draw Me, Lord" by the group Selah.

Isn't it true that our relationship with the Lord is about drawing close to Him. We can do all the "stuff": reading the Bible, giving money, doing ministry, going to church, without worship. That's dry ritualism. Worship is that drawing near to the Lord, earnestly seeking Him, opening our heart to Him, relating to Him.

Draw near to the Lord and He will draw near to You.

The Only Thing Harder Than Living With In-Laws...

...is living with in-laws without power. Let me explain.

We still don't have power. Hurricane Wilma knocked out the electricity of almost one million people in Miami-Dade County alone. Florida Power and Light has done a great job of restoring power. Last I heard, there were only 200,000 or so more homes to go. We are one of those 200,000. (By we, I mean my mother-in-laws home.) You know, somebody in Miami has to be the last one to get their power turned back on.

Now, I love my in-laws. They have been EXTREMELY gracious and helpful in this time of transistion for my family. But, at times it has been hard. When we lost power, it became harder, obviouslly. BUT, when I say that it is hard to live with your in-laws without power, I'm talking about Holy Spirit power. You see, the hardest part about living with my in-laws is that sometimes I don't rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. It doesn't matter if we have electricity or not, the real issue is the power of the Holy Spirit. In fact, the more difficult the circumstance, the more evident His power should be in my life because the more necessary it is for me to rely upon Him. When I'm depending on the Lord, and looking at every event in life as a ministry opportunity, it's awesome. Because I'm reaching out. It becomes not about ME, but about Jesus! Lord, help this become a bigger reality in my life.

The only thing harder than life, is living life without power - the power of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1: 8 says, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to Me..."